Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton recently announced funding for the planning, design and construction of water reuse projects around the country.
The funding includes $309.8 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $1 million in appropriated funding, according to an Aug. 18 news release. The announcement came after the secretaries completed a two-day visit to central and southern California.
“Water reuse helps communities diversify their water supply as they are facing an unprecedented drought and a changing climate,” Touton said in the release. “This has tangible impacts and can help feed families, grow crops, sustain wildlife and the environment and help more families access safe, clean, reliable water. These projects will provide flexibility for communities and help them stretch their current drinking supplies as they will be treating wastewater that continues to be available."
The 25 projects receiving funding are expected to "advance drought resilience" and to increase the annual capacity by about 213,000 acre-feet of water to support more than 850,000 people a year, according to the release.
“Water is essential to everything we do and it will take all of us, working together, to address the significant drought impacts we are seeing across the West," Haaland said in the release. “As the climate crisis drives severe drought conditions and historically low water allocations, President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making historic investments to address water and drought challenges and invest in our nation’s western water and power infrastructure.”
Projects in California selected for funding through the $310.8 million funding allocation, according to the release, are: Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency- Replenish Big Bear Project, $8,267,112; Carpinteria Valley Water District- Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project, $9,659,990; Coachella Valley Water District- Water Reclamation Plant 10 Non-Potable Water System, $12,276,517; Eastern Municipal Water District- Purified Water Replenishment Project, $10,000,000; and Irvine Ranch Water District- Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project, $12,245,625.
The release reported the California projects also include: Jurupa Community Services District- Joint IEUA-JCSD Recycled Water Intertie Project, $12,275,000; Las-Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority- Pure Water Project Las Virgenes-Triunfo, $10,199,637; Monterey One Water- Expand Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project, $10,316,822; City of Morro Bay- Water Reclamation Facility Project, $9,310,095; City of Oceanside- Pure Water Oceanside Program, $9,941,533; Olivenhain Municipal Water District- North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition Regional Recycled Water Program: 2020 Project, $17,826,952; and Padre Dam Municipal Water District- East County Advanced Water Purification Program Phase 2, $28,300,000.
Additional Californatia projects, according to the release, are: City of Palo Alto- Advanced Water Purification System, $12,867,875; City of Pismo Beach- Central Coast Blue, $14,124,000; Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District- Harvest Water Program, $24,115,808; City of San Buenaventura- Ventura Water Pure Program, $14,026,650; Santa Margarita Water District- San Juan Watershed Project, $7,928,615; Sonoma County Water Agency- North Bay Reuse Program: Phase 2 Program, $6,934,655; Soquel Creek Water District- Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Replenishment and Seawater Intrusion Prevention Project, $20,925,000; and Water Replenishment District of Southern California- Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program Recycled Water Project, $15,478,307.
The release reported other projects are: Maui County, Hawaii- Lahaina Water Recycling Project 3, West Maui Recycled Water Expansion, $1,080,244; City of Nampa, Idaho- Recycled Water Program, $3,000,000; El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board, Texas- Advanced Water Purification Facility, $20,000,000; Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Utah- Tertiary Treatment Facility in Central Weber, $14,300,000; and City of Cheney, Washington- Cheney Purple Pipe Project, $5,445,750.
