Capps Celebrates Passage Of Oxnard Water Resources Development Legislation
Press Release
Capps Celebrates Passage Of Oxnard Water Resources Development Legislation
Congresswoman Lois Capps today celebrated the passage of legislation to authorize a comprehensive regional water resources development project in Oxnard. The City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act of 2007 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 bill was successfully passed by the House in the 109th Congress but the Senate did not act on the measure.
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.
âI am very pleased that my legislation to approve the GREAT program has once again won House approval,â said Capps. âTodayâs successful House vote is another significant step towards making this important legislation law and I hope that the Senate will soon consider this legislation. The GREAT Program will help the Oxnard community use its precious water resources more efficiently, reducing its dependence on imported water and helping to prevent substantial increases in cost of water for Oxnard citizens. This project presents an innovative solution to a serious local problem and I am committed to helping the community address their need for a clean, reliable, local water supply. I will continue to work closely with the City of Oxnard to ensure that this program will improve our ability to supply adequate clean water to the community.â
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 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.
Implementation of the GREAT Program is expected to provide many significant regional benefits. The City of Oxnardâs 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 â" converted from an existing Bureau of Reclamation pilot-project water desalination facility â" will serve ratepayers in Oxnard and its adjacent communities, guaranteeing sufficient water supplies for the area.
The total project cost for phase one of the GREAT Program 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.
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