Given constrained supplies in Southern California, water is a precious commodity that is critical to the City’s ability to achieve its Vision. Ontario gets water from four sources: groundwater, imported water, recycled water and local precipitation. Ontario’s potable water supply comes predominantly from a combination of groundwater and imported sources. Recycled water is available for non-potable purposes in portions of the City. Some urban run-off is captured and used for recharging the aquifer, but most travels through the City during storm events via natural and man-made systems to Prado Dam. Protection of ground and surface water quality is important to the continued availability of the resource. Wholesale recycled water is available through the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) for distribution by the City.

The City maintains a wastewater collection system and contracts with the IEUA for wastewater treatment. IEUA also operates an industrial non-reclaimable wastewater system, which runs through Ontario and is available to our industries.

Ontario recognizes that all water sources are not of equal quality, but all water has value and the water used should match the water quality required for the use. Recycled water, for example, should be used for landscape irrigation. The City’s approach to water resources is to conserve when possible, reclaim and reuse where feasible, and ensure “the right water for the right use.”

Ontario provides solid waste collection and disposal services. For solid waste materials that cannot be reduced at the source, the City must take steps to maximize recycling and composting to ensure efficient collection and safe, environmentally sound disposal. If not recycled or composted, solid waste takes up landfill space that is very limited. Waste materials cause environmental impacts at each stage of their life cycle. There are environmental and economic impacts associated with the manufacture, transport, sale, disposal, and recycling of solid waste.

The treatment and disposal of solid waste traditionally creates significant unusable by-products and energy demands. The first approach to reduce the City’s waste stream should be to reduce the generation of waste and find ways waste can be reused and recycled. New technologies and approaches can be used to reduce these impacts through recycling of construction, consumer, green, and liquid waste and utilizing these waste products to generate renewable energy that reduce impacts on landfills. There is value in reducing the City’s waste stream to as low as possible. Waste by-products that are channeled into a revenue stream reduce the demand upon facilities and reduce the use of non-renewable materials. The City cannot achieve its growth vision without decreasing waste by-products and freeing up capacity in landfills. Natural ecosystems efficiently breakdown waste by-products and are often more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive than man-made systems. While natural systems may be the optimal choice, the City recognizes the need to integrate both natural and manmade systems and processes to manage waste.

Local conditions such as land use patterns, transportation options, and individual consumer consumption decisions impact energy use within the City. How we build neighborhoods, and construct and operate the buildings within them, can reduce per capita energy demand, increase conservation opportunities, and incorporate alternative energy sources. Finding ways to reduce the energy demands and encourage the development of renewable energy resources within the City can not only reduce our reliance upon non-renewable energy resources but can also make the City more ecologically and economically sustainable.

Even though air quality is a regional issue, Ontario has the opportunity to demonstrate its leadership by striving for the healthiest air quality possible and reducing pollution sources within the City. Better indoor and outdoor air quality for Ontario and the air basin will improve the quality of life of residents, workers and visitors, decrease health care costs and make Ontario more prosperous by making the City a more desirable place to be. Most of the air pollution within Ontario is a result of the City’s location within an inland valley where the predominant wind pattern flows from Orange and Los Angeles counties and backs up against the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains.

The City is home to major transportation goods movement infrastructure – Los Angeles/Ontario International Airport, major interstate highways, and three railway lines – which are major sources of air pollution. This combination of geographical factors and pollution sources contribute significantly to the region’s failure to meet several federal and state standards.

The City of Ontario expects to double its population by 2050. We intend to develop strategies to minimize the air quality impacts of this growth. Of particular concern are the City’s future impacts on Global Warming which is caused by an accumulation of Greenhouse Gases (GHG).

Developed as the “Model Irrigation Colony,” Ontario has a rich agricultural heritage. The northern portion of the City was farmed with grapes, citrus, olives and other fruit tree crops. The southern portion of the City, has been used predominantly for dairy farms for over half a century. Other types of agricultural uses include cultivated crops, fallow fields and plant nurseries. Until the mid-1990s, southern Ontario was part of the San Bernardino County Dairy Preserve. Some of the City’s dairy preserve properties are still under Williamson Act contracts. The City of Ontario adopted a right to farm ordinance which recognizes the right of agricultural operations to continue. However, increased environmental regulations are causing existing dairies to relocate out of the region, resulting in a continued decline in the long-term viability of agricultural operations in southern Ontario.

Rare and/or endangered species that have the potential to occur in Ontario include the Delhi Sands Flower, the Loving Fly, and the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat. Existing habitat for these species is of poor quality and/or is limited to isolated pockets. As the City further develops, there may be opportunities to integrate suitable habitat for sensitive species into new developments and/or participate in regional efforts for the conservation of high-quality habitat, thereby expanding and creating new habitat corridors.

There are no permitted mining operations in the City. According to the Department of Conservation, significant mineral resources within Ontario are limited to construction aggregate. Areas identified with potential mineral resources have been developed with urban uses and are not suitable for mineral resource extraction.