The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the Mission Springs Water District are working together to potentially create a unique partnership that would explore new ways to deliver water to Coachella Valley residents — all while elevating the importance of conservation, environmental stewardship and quality, according to a news release.

The first step would include entering into a Memorandum of Understanding that would allow the two organizations to work together on a feasibility study to explore creative solutions for production and distribution. The Mission Springs Water District will consider approval of the MOU at its board meeting on Monday Oct. 15, 2018.

“This is an opportunity to cooperate as neighbors and stakeholders in Coachella Valley water management,” says Arden Wallum, General Manager for Mission Springs Water District.  “We envision a long-term, mutually supportive relationship with the Agua Caliente Tribe.

The proposed MOU calls for a feasibility study that would analyze how to utilize and develop infrastructure to best manage, cost effectively deliver and beneficially deliver resources, while promoting conservation and protecting the environment and water quality.

“I’m excited,” Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said in a prepared statement.  “This potential partnership is the first step with one of the region’s most forward-thinking public water purveyors in developing responsible and creative management that will ultimately benefit residents of the Coachella Valley. This partnership would allow us to pool our resources and our respective expertise to effectively manage precious  resources well into the future.”

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in Palm Springs, California, with 31,500 acres of reservation lands that spread across Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. The Tribe currently owns and operates two 18-hole championship golf courses, the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs and the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage. For more information about the Tribe, visitwww.aguacaliente-nsn.gov.

MSWD is a County Water District and public agency of the State of California, organized under Water Code Section 30000 et seq.  The District manages, maintains, protects and delivers resources to residents and businesses within its jurisdictional boundaries, which include approximately 136 square miles of land in the greater Desert Hot Springs area and unincorporated areas of the County of Riverside, California. For more information, visit: www.mswd.org/