IEUA’s Deshmukh on Water Innovation, Regional Stewardship, and Vision for MWD

Departing his role as General Manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, where he has served since 2019, to lead the Metropolitan Water District in the same capacity, Shivaji Deshmukh reflects with VX News on advancing local water reliability through innovation and collaboration. From early reverse osmosis research at UCLA to pioneering recycled water and watershed partnerships—and supporting major initiatives such as the Chino Basin Program and Delta Conveyance Project—Deshmukh emphasizes that sustainability is about both public health and people. Looking ahead to his new role at MWD, he opines on the importance of expanding workforce development and public engagement, as well as continuing what he calls “a noble pursuit” to secure Southern California’s water future.

 “Our population is going up, but water demands aren’t necessarily increasing; the ability to use recycled water for potable use allows us to adapt to how our needs have changed…”
– Shivaji Deshmukh

Shivaji, we have this conversation as you depart from your role as General Manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) to assume the same position at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. For career context, how did you find your way into water management?

It’s an interesting story, really rooted in Southern California’s long history with water. When I was an undergrad at UCLA, I volunteered for research focused on reverse osmosis membranes—a technology invented at UCLA in the 1960s to desalt water and, eventually, to recycle wastewater. That experience, and the continued research in graduate school, led to my first professional opportunity at the Orange County Water District, where I worked on a large-scale water recycling program.

My start was in recycled water, specifically developing reliable local supplies independent of the hydrologic cycle. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work for three public agencies in three different Southern California counties. Now, as you noted, moving into the same role at Metropolitan, I’m eager to bring that local experience to the regional scale and help strengthen Southern California’s overall water reliability.

Elaborate on IEUA’s uniqueness and services within California’s broader water landscape, and speak to the legacy you hope to leave behind.

I’d argue the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, or IEUA, is one of the most unique agencies in the State. We began as an imported water provider serving southwest San Bernardino County. We’re one of 26 member agencies of the Metropolitan Water District, and the only one in San Bernardino County. The region has deep agricultural and dairy roots, but it’s also a critical logistical hub for Southern California. Parts of our service area are just 40 minutes from the ocean, less than an hour from downtown Los Angeles, and, I’d argue, still offer relatively affordable housing. It’s a vital part of the region’s fabric.

Beyond being a Metropolitan member agency, IEUA had the foresight, about 50 years ago, to recognize that local wastewater could be better managed and ultimately recycled. Fast forward to today, roughly 75 years since our founding, we now recycle 100% of the liquid that comes through our wastewater plants, 100% of the solids through the nation’s largest indoor composter, and we’re now figuring out how to complete the cycle by using all of the biogas produced at our facilities.

Our work doesn’t stop there. We also serve as the operations engineer and planner for the local groundwater basin, operate regional desalters, and essentially tie together the “one water” concept through integrated services. The legacy I’m proud to have contributed to is that ethic of sustainability—advancing reliability and resilience through local investment to prepare for climate change.

Back in 2007, Martha Davis shared with us that IEUA needed to prepare for a 50% population increase amid a shrinking resource base. Nearly two decades later, has that vision continued to guide the agency’s work?

Definitely. We’ve been seeing population growth within our service area. If you look at Metropolitan as a whole, the population may be shifting from west to east. Zooming out across the entire Metropolitan service area, the overall population might not be changing much, but in our area, it definitely is.

That doesn’t necessarily mean total water demand is increasing. What’s changing is the type of water being used. Going back to agriculture and dairy, our overall demand in that sector isn’t necessarily growing since we already have a robust supply supporting it. But as land use shifts from agriculture and dairies to residential or business development, we’re seeing more drought-tolerant landscaping and low-flow indoor fixtures. So, the same amount of water just isn’t needed.

If you parallel that to the kind of water we need, and the fact that we’ve been very progressive about recycled water use, it represents a shift from non-potable recycled water, which we’ve long invested in. This allows us to produce higher-quality recycled water that can be recharged into the ground and ultimately used for domestic or potable purposes. So, in short, yes, our population is going up, but our water demands aren’t necessarily going up; the ability to use recycled water more for indirect potable use allows us to adapt to how our needs have changed within this service area.

IEUA has also been a leader within the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority. What lessons from that integrated, watershed-based approach might you carry into your new role at MWD as you advance other recycled water partnerships?

We’ve got to think beyond political boundaries when it comes to water management. The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) is a great example of taking that holistic, watershed-based approach. Don’t limit yourself to city lines or service areas; look at where the water naturally flows and how we can create solutions that benefit the entire system.

One of the successes I’m proud of that really reflects that philosophy is our 50-year agreement with the City of Rialto. Rialto is upstream in the watershed, outside our service area, and even outside the Metropolitan Water District service area. They had recycled water they couldn’t fully use—there wasn’t enough local demand, and they had discharge challenges because of water temperature. Meanwhile, we had growing recycled water needs as development increased in our area. So, we partnered. We’re able to take that water, use it beneficially, and everyone wins. That’s a perfect example of finding mutual benefit across jurisdictions that don’t traditionally overlap. The SAWPA model has fostered several collaborations like that; I mention Rialto because it’s the most recent and a great success story.

Staying with recycled water, you’ve advanced the Chino Basin Program, which includes a new Advanced Water Purification Facility. What's the importance of this decades-long project, and what does the recent $53.9 million award from the California Water Commission mean for its progress?

The Chino Basin Program is a groundbreaking project. While it’s an expansion of our core services here at IEUA like increasing recycled water use, increasing recharge into the groundwater basin, and adding potential storage to help our customers, as well as the State, manage through more frequent droughts, it’s also an opportunity to partner with the State in a way that would bring in just under $270 million to invest in an area that’s typically not as supported as some other parts of Southern California.

In turn, what that investment would do is really increase the flexibility and resilience of this groundwater basin. For us, we’re continuing to evaluate if it’s the right program and the right value for the IEUA service area. We’ve seen support from the environmental community and the State, but ultimately, it’s a decision our customer agencies have to make - whether they’re willing to partner, buy water when it’s available, store it, and then extract it if the State puts a call on that water. If we’re able to make that work, it’s a great benefit to the region. 

We get a significant amount of investment to offset the cost of these facilities, and the State and environment also benefit because pulse flows will be able to be released from Oroville to protect the salmonid species in the Feather River. If we can make this work, it’s a great project not only for the State, but specifically for our service area.

Under your leadership, IEUA has also continued to support the streamlining of the Delta Conveyance Project. Speak to the project’s vitality, even as agencies like yours successfully expand local water recycling and groundwater infrastructure.

We’re very proud of what we’ve done in our service area. When it comes to local supply development, we’ve built a system that really maximizes the resources we have. We have a groundwater basin that allows us to store storm flows, excess imported water, and recycled water—so we don’t have to use water immediately when we create it. That flexibility is a huge advantage for us.

Even with all that local investment, though, we still rely on imported water for about one-third of our total supply. We’re one of six agencies within the 26-member agencies of Metropolitan that have access to State Water Project supplies. Because of plumbing and water quality constraints, we don’t have access to Colorado River water, so when we have a statewide drought, like the one a few years ago, we’re still impacted. Even with a strong conservation and recycling ethic, we still need a certain amount of imported water. Ultimately, we need something to be able to recycle. Without imported water, we can’t sustain the system as a whole. For us, a resilient California Aqueduct and State Water Project are essential, especially as a State Water Project–dependent area.

Our agency has consistently supported the Delta Conveyance Program, and right now, our focus is on supporting the trailer bill language for that project, so that we can accelerate planning and development and finally get to a decision point. We need to know how we’re moving forward. This is a big decision for Metropolitan, and our goal from the IEUA side is to ensure the Board has all the information it needs to make an informed choice about the future of the State’s water delivery system.

Beyond infrastructure and water, IEUA’s lauded community outreach and education programming evidences a strong commitment to engaging your consumers. Speak to how you see such initiatives fitting into a broader definition of sustainability.

At IEUA, we’ve really focused on trying to connect the dots to show that everything is connected. Wastewater flows are not just treated and pushed out to the river and then to the ocean. They’re first introduced into the environment, whether that’s streams, flood control channels, or the groundwater basin. 

Ultimately, they’re going to be reused, either by us within our service area as non-potable or potable supplies, or by being reintroduced into the Santa Ana River, where—through a 50-year-old judgment—we partner with the Chino Basin Watermaster to ensure that there is enough water in the river for our downstream partners.

We need to communicate to the public that everything is connected and that our job is to keep all of those discharges and outputs from our facilities clean, healthy, and as high-quality as possible, because somebody or something will eventually be drinking that water.

What lessons have emerged from your efforts to engage with the communities you serve?

What works best is when public agency staff, or the people directly responsible for this mission and operation, have real, direct communication with the communities they serve. What I’ve found most effective, whether you’re talking about something widely accepted or introducing something new like potable reuse, is having that face-to-face conversation, with a bit of background on what we’re doing and why.

Maybe this is just my age talking, but nothing beats that one-on-one connection. For us, our Board has been very supportive of staff being out in the community, having those conversations directly. Coming up with graphics, PowerPoints, and videos can be helpful—but nothing is as impactful as having employees of the organization act as stewards for the message of environmental and public health protection. That personal connection builds trust.

Finally, as you exit IEUA, share the takeaways that will influence your water management responsibility at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

There are two big takeaways for me. It is our job to provide the right amount of data and transparency for these publicly elected boards to make very tough decisions. The way to do that, and to maintain operations that protect water supply reliability, public health, and environmental protection, is to focus on workforce development.

For me, that’s been the biggest takeaway from my IEUA days, as well as my two former agencies. Protecting our existing workforce while also drawing in the next generation of talent is what’s going to make our systems better. Any chance I have to talk about the great opportunities in this field, and why it’s such a noble pursuit….I take it. I never miss those.

I really want to continue that at Metropolitan. I think that message resonated with the Metropolitan Board. I know they already prioritize it, but I’d love to expand on it even more. Here in the Inland Empire, it’s worked really well. 

Something personally exciting for me is that most people don’t know much about our industry. They assume that to work in water, you need a four-year degree in civil engineering, but that’s definitely not the case. We have opportunities for high school graduates and for people from all sorts of backgrounds, not just engineers. I’m excited to continue promoting careers in water and to use any platform I have to highlight what a great industry this is.

Is that message being received well by your target audience?

I think so, but we have a lot more opportunities ahead of us. This is where we’ve done a good job as an industry, but we can go further. I don’t have all the ideas myself, but I know there are creative people out there who do. We have to test the markets better and get the word out.

It’s not just about being a public agency employee. We work hand in hand with private industry to build and deliver all the water here. With the volume of projects happening across the State, we’re going to need a significantly larger workforce. We need to spread that message. Like I said, it’s not just engineers; we’ll talk to any groups that are interested.

I’ve heard some really creative ideas about outreach. It’s not only about going to community colleges, but also partnering with nonprofits and other organizations that serve people looking to change careers. Some individuals have been out of the workforce for years, caring for their families. We want to reach them, show them what a great and stable field this is, and invite them in. I’m probably just scratching the surface here, but we need to be more creative—and I know there are people out there who can bring those great ideas forward.

Because of time and space, we’ll call it there. Thank you, Shivaji.