[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 3/21/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

March 21, 2008

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People

 

Ground broken for water treatment plant; Simi project is one of 11 in county to get funding

Ventura County Star – 3/21/08

By Anna Bakalis, staff writer

 

It took strategy, vision and collaboration, officials said, for Ventura County to get $25 million from the state for 11 projects that will bring higher quality and self-reliant water supplies.

 

The State Water Resources Control Board presented grant money at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the Tapo Canyon Water Treatment Plant in Simi Valley, a $5.2 million project that will use $1.2 million of the state funds.

 

Ventura County was the first region to be awarded any of the $1.4 billion available, Supervisor Peter Foy said. There were more than 50 applications vying for priority.

 

"It's not every day you get $25 million," Foy said. "What's unique here is that it was a collaborative effort."

 

Representatives from all parts of the effort — from the state board and elected officials from county, city and special districts — were on hand to put a golden shovel in the dirt atop a hill in Tapo Canyon and also to receive a few oversized checks.

 

The Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County, a group of more than 60 agencies and organizations, was formed in 2002 to address water issues like supply, quality and environmental protection.

 

"These 11 projects are a way to ensure taxpayers receive more for their money," said Ted Grandsen, president of the Calleguas Municipal Water District. He is also a board member of the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies much of Simi Valley's drinking water supply.

 

In Simi, nearly 80,000 customers use about 21 million gallons per day. All of its potable water is imported.

 

Once the water treatment plant is completed, it will produce up to 1 million gallons of water per day.

 

"The Tapo Canyon treatment plant is an important step for Simi Valley in diversifying our water resources and improving local reliability," Mayor Paul Miller said.

 

Plans also include producing water for irrigation of a nearby nursery and Lost Canyons Golf Course.

 

The Watersheds Coalition formed in anticipation of approval of a statewide water bond, also known as Proposition 50 — the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act. Proposition 50 authorized $3.44 billion for critical water resource projects.

 

Officials said the projects will boost the natural water supply while improving water quality and protecting habitat. As water supplies from Northern California and the Colorado River are cut back, it is imperative for cities to become more water independent, Grandsen said.

 

On Thursday, Sue Hughes, a legislative analyst with the county, doled out the 11 oversized checks.

 

Foy and Ventura County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston held up two of the checks, while officials from Fillmore and Oxnard and other agencies held the rest.

 

Johnston, who is retiring at the end of the month, referred to the project as his "swan song."

 

"In my capacity as an administrator, protecting water and keeping it pure is very important," he said. #

http://venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/21/ground-broken-for-water-treatment-plant/

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