By John Hankins
Construction of a new ocean outfall has begun for the “VenturaWaterPure” project, designed to provide purified recycled water that will recover, treat and reuse water that is currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary.
It was important enough to draw Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to Marina Park on Dec. 15, along with Mike Brain, her Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, our local Rep. Salud Carbajal, Ventura City Mayor Joe Schroeder and councilmember Dr. Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios.
“Water is life. It powers our economies, sustains our environment, and so much more. It will take all of us working together to address the significant drought impacts that we see across the West,” Haaland told reporters.
This project will divert treated water from the city of Ventura’s wastewater treatment facility to a new Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF), where the water will be treated to drinking water standards and then injected into a local groundwater basin for storage, and later extracted and delivered to customers.
The VenturaWaterPure project will allow the City to meet legal and regulatory requirements, improve water quality, and secure a new local source of drinking water that is drought resilient.
However, there is not unanimous applause for the project, as council members Mike Johnson and Liz Campos voted no on accepting federal loans. Johnson has protested that “we hadn't explored the alternatives, and that years of budget increases on the project would continue. Councilmember Campos joined me in voting no, but it was 5-2. When a couple months later, the budget increased from $375 to $550 million, I was angry and dispirited, but I wasn't surprised.”
The project was announced last September, and the ocean outfall component is currently under construction. The project is expected to finish this year and provide up to 20 percent of the city’s water supply.
The beginning of the project occurred in 2011 when the Ventura City Council voted on a settlement agreement with Heal the Bay and the Wishtoyo Foundation/Ventura Coastkeeper to preserve the Santa Clara River’s natural habitat. “The consent decree also requires a beneficial reuse of the water to align with the City’s long-term sustainability goals and commitment to responsible water management,” Schroeder said.
The Environmental Protection Agency agreed to a $173 million loan while the Bureau of Reclamation provided an $18 million grant. More funds and grants may be coming soon.
The CA Coastal Commission approved the project by a unanimous vote.
More information and to keep tabs on the project, go to: cityofventura.ca.gov/OceanOutfall