WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps today reintroduced legislation to authorize a comprehensive regional water resources development project in Oxnard. The City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act of 2005 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the City of Oxnard, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of the Groundwater Recovery Enhancement and Treatment (GREAT) Project in Ventura County.
The GREAT Program combines wastewater recycling and reuse, groundwater injection, storage and recovery, and groundwater desalination to provide regional water supply solutions to the Oxnard Plain.
“This program will help the city of Oxnard make better use of the water it has, reduce the city’s dependence on imported water and help to prevent steep increases in monthly water bills to the citizens of Oxnard,” Capps said. “I am proud to partner with the city for a program that will truly improve our ability to provide sufficient clean water to the residents of this region.”
Elements of the GREAT Program include a new regional groundwater desalination facility to serve potable water customers in the City of Oxnard and adjacent communities, a recycled water system to serve agricultural water users in the Pleasant Valley area and added protection against seawater intrusion and saltwater contamination. The program also includes a wetlands restoration and enhancement element by efficiently reusing the brine discharges from both the recycled and groundwater desalination treatment facilities.
"Water, a precious and scarce resource, is worthy of this federal support," said Ken Ortega, Oxnard's water superintendent. "If signed into law, the 'City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act' will help implement a vital regional water supply program. After several years of planning and designing, this is a powerful step forward in providing our residents with a reliable and affordable source of high-quality water."
Implementation of the GREAT Program is expected to provide many significant regional benefits. The City of Oxnard’s current water infrastructure delivers approximately 30 million gallons of treated wastewater per day to an ocean outfall. The GREAT Program will allow that treated wastewater to be reused by the agricultural and landscape water users in the area. The new regional desalination component – converted from an existing Bureau of Reclamation pilot-project water desalination facility – will serve ratepayers in Oxnard and its adjacent communities, guaranteeing sufficient water supplies for the area.
The City of Oxnard has teamed with the Ocean View Municipal Water District, the United Water Conservation District, the Calleguas Municipal Water District and the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency.
The total project cost for phase one of the GREAT Project facilities is estimated to be $55 million. Funding would be used for design, planning and construction of desalination facility and wastewater-recycling project. The City of Oxnard has spent nearly $3 million on advanced planning, conceptual design and environmental review for the project.
