EMWD, Rep. Calvert Celebrate Historic Advancement of Quail Valley Sewer Project

Perris, CA (April 8, 2026) — Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) and Congressman Ken Calvert celebrated the groundbreaking of a new project on Wednesday that will expand sewer service in the Quail Valley community of Menifee.

The event marked a long-term effort to advance the Goetz Road Sewer Project, which will help protect public and environmental health in the region. The project will install nearly 4,000 feet of new sewer pipeline on Goetz Road, between Rock Canyon Drive and Avenida Robles. The project should be completed in mid-2027.

“This project will greatly benefit the residents of Quail Valley by protecting public and environmental health,” EMWD Board President Stephen Corona said. “We are incredibly appreciative of Congressman Calvert, who provided his full support for this project and was critical to helping to secure the necessary grant funding.”

Calvert (CA-41) remains a steadfast advocate for the Quail Valley community, having secured a total of $10 million in federal Community Project Funding to date. He successfully secured $5 million in the FY 2026 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bill for this project. This builds upon appropriations he secured in both FY 2022 and FY 2023 for $2.5 million each through the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) State and Tribal Assistance Grant Program. 

“This project highlights the importance of partnerships to construct infrastructure in underserved communities,” Calvert said. “EMWD has been an advocate for bringing sewer service to Quail Valley. Together, we are proud to advance this important project that will enhance the economic vitality of the community, and quality of life for so many.”

Quail Valley was once a rural enclave that was largely a vacation community. As the region developed and became home to more full-time residents, the septic systems in the area began to fail. When they did, wastewater would leach into the groundwater and surface waters of nearby Canyon Lake, which is a tributary to the Santa Ana River.

For two decades, EMWD has been working to advance a long-term solution to bring sewer service to Quail Valley, which qualifies as an economically disadvantaged community. Because it cannot ask its other ratepayers to subsidize the project, EMWD is dependent on grant funding to construct the necessary infrastructure.

“We at EPA are thrilled to be supporters of this critical infrastructure improvement, which will bring tangible benefits to the residents of Menifee,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Deputy Regional Administrator Cheree Peterson. “Progress toward more modern wastewater systems, that protect human health and our vital groundwater resources, is cause for celebration.”

The sewer line on Goetz Road is a vital piece of the long-term effort to expand sewer service to additional areas of Quail Valley. In 2019, it completed work on the first phase of sewer service in the community. That project, which was focused on the southern portion of Quail Valley known as Subarea 9, converted 149 homes from septic to sewer and extended sewer access to 66 undeveloped parcels. It was funded through significant grant funding from the State Water Resources Control Board ($8 million), the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority ($1.93 million), and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board ($455,000).

“Today marks a major milestone for the Quail Valley community and for water quality protection in the Santa Ana Watershed – local groundwater, the San Jacinto River, and ultimately Canyon Lake,” said Eric Lindberg, Executive Officer of the State Water Resources Control Board.

EMWD is seeking additional grant funding opportunities to bring service to Subarea 4, a densely populated area in the northern portion of Quail Valley that is under a septic moratorium put in place by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board preventing the development of vacant parcels with new septic systems.