Local Mutual Aid Agreements in the utility sector are powerful, voluntary collaborations that enable water/wastewater agencies, cities, and other utilities to share personnel, equipment, and resources during emergencies. These agreements help speed up service restoration, boost workforce capacity, and strengthen community resilience after disasters by facilitating quick resource deployment.
Emergencies happen, but how agencies prepare and respond to them can determine whether they are a minor inconvenience or a catastrophe. Earlier this year, the Inland Empire Utility Agency (IEUA/Agency) faced multiple pump issues at one of its lift stations. Three of the four pumps failed for various reasons, including ragging and overheating, while the remaining pump struggled to keep up with wastewater flows.
The City of Fontana Public Works Department responded in support of IEUA during a recent lift station incident by providing critical mutual aid assistance. Fontana’s crews played a key role in diverting sewer flows south to help stabilize operations at IEUA’s San Bernardino Lift Station.
One of the first calls IEUA made was to the City of Fontana staff for Mutual Aid support.
“Fortunately, this particular lift station has the ability to divert flow away through a series of four diversion structures operated by Fontana,” Edward Makowski, Collection Systems Supervisor at IEUA, said. “Fontana quickly responded and sent resources to perform these diversions.”
Ultimately, IEUA experienced a spill, but Fontana’s efforts significantly reduced the volume and mitigated its effects, allowing IEUA staff to perform containment and cleanup efficiently, Makowski reported.
“With flow diverted, proper repairs could be made without the risk of another spill,” Makowski said.
This example demonstrates how IEUA and its Mutual Aid partners consistently dedicate themselves to helping one another in times of need. This community-driven collaboration benefits all agencies involved and supports the primary goal of safeguarding the environment and communities, Makowski added.
IEUA has maintained Mutual Aid Agreements with the cities and communities it serves for over two decades, but in recent years, the group has worked to improve the program and become more effective during crises.
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency is a regional entity responsible for wastewater treatment and wholesale imported water distribution, serving approximately 950,000 residents across 242 square miles in western San Bernardino County. Founded in 1950, it provides critical services, including water supply management, recycled water, and biosolids composting. The Agency operates five regional wastewater treatment facilities, sources imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and supplies recycled water for irrigation and industrial purposes.
IEUA manages 46 groundwater recharge basins, develops renewable energy, and produces compost from treated biosolids. It serves 11 customer agencies, including the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Ontario, and the Cucamonga Valley Water District. Its mission is to deliver vital water services sustainably, protect public health, and ensure water reliability for the future.
“In some ways, a Mutual Aid Program between IEUA and our local cities began long before any agreements were signed,” said Lucia Diaz MBA, Acting Director of Finance at IEUA and former Manager of Facilities & Water System Programs. “Crew members were already assisting each other informally when they were responding to incidents in the field.”
Back in 2004, the first Mutual Aid Agreement was signed, creating a framework that IEUA’s customer agencies could rely on to support each other during sanitary sewer spills, pump-station failures, or other collection-system emergencies.
“Support was outlined to include field crews, combination trucks, bypass equipment, or other useful resources,” said Kyle Scibner, Public Works Manager for the City of Fontana. Scibner has worked for the City for 23 years.
City staff implemented major traffic control measures at four major intersections to make this happen. This included lane closures and on-site traffic management to support continuous operations throughout the incident. This coordinated effort highlights the strong partnership between the City of Fontana and IEUA.
One of the most valuable features of the agreement for the program’s partners is that, while services do have an underlying cost, IEUA and the participating cities do not charge one another for assistance unless a third-party contractor is required. The idea is essentially about helping each other with the confidence that they would return the favor when it is most needed.
Since the first contract between the partners, the program has grown considerably. Today, there are nine partners: City of Chino, City of Chino Hills, Cucamonga Valley Water District, City of Fontana, City of Ontario, City of Montclair, City of Upland, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and Jurupa Community Services District.
The program is overseen by IEUA, but both Makowski and Diaz emphasize that no single agency is in charge of the program itself. What these cities and agencies have in common is that either their sewer systems are interconnected through regional pipelines or their effluent is processed at IEUA’s wastewater facility. In accordance with reporting regulations, IEUA maintains records and documentation of the group’s quarterly meetings and training sessions, helping drive the program forward with the support of the partners.
In December 2022, the revised California Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) was implemented, which included a wastewater spill simulation training requirement. This simulation aims to educate staff about the WDR requirements, emphasizing emergency response actions such as controlling, containing, and cleaning spills to comply with regulations. The training typically covers topics such as mapping, spill estimation methods, and reporting procedures for the CIWQS database.
The key components of WDR Spill Simulation Training included:
“The spill simulation program that the Mutual Aid group takes the lead on is extremely helpful,” said Jason Lara, Public Works Utilities Supervisor for the City of Upland. “It’s pretty informational and helps us train for a worst-case scenario, as well as helps us meet the annual WDR requirements.”
Lara explained that he and his six-member crew are small compared to some of the larger partners in the Mutual Aid group.
“When I first came on 10 years ago, we were like the little brother in the family and couldn’t really contribute much,” he said. “But over the years, and with the help of the Mutual Aid members, we’ve been able to grow, and I really feel like we can finally contribute to the group.”
That same sentiment is also felt by Scibner and Christopher Garcia, who works as a Public Works Department Supervisor for the City of Fontana. Garcia agrees that they have built relationships with the other members of the group and have come together “almost like a family.”
“We’re not just separate entities anymore,” Garcia said. “We share ideas and help and assist when needed.”
Many formal and informal water and wastewater Mutual Aid Programs exist across the State. Additionally, IEUA participates in the statewide program with members who coordinate Mutual Aid efforts during disasters. The California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (CalWARN) is a statewide Mutual Aid network that helps water and wastewater utilities across California assist one another in emergencies. It allows member agencies to exchange resources like personnel, equipment, and materials to prepare for, respond to, and recover from both natural and human-made disasters.
The key purpose of CalWARN is to establish a system that allows water and wastewater utilities to receive rapid assistance during emergencies without waiting for a formal State or federal disaster declaration. The program’s current membership includes 190 public and private water and wastewater utilities that have voluntarily signed a Mutual Aid Agreement.
The network maintains a web-based resource database that allows members to quickly locate and request equipment, such as generators or pumps, and staff from other members. The CalWARN agreement streamlines administrative processes by covering liability, workers’ compensation, and reimbursement procedures, ensuring compliance with FEMA guidelines.
It also reaches over 90% of California residents and ensures service continuity during emergencies. CalWARN works with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and is part of a national WARN initiative promoted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, see the membership dashboard at calwarn.org.
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