By SDCN Staff
Oceanside, CA–The Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has recommended a $9.9 million grant award for the construction of the City of Oceanside’s Pure Water Oceanside project.
The funding will be awarded through the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects funding opportunity. Oceanside is one of 25 applicants being named in the federal appropriations process for this funding.
Through the Title XVI program, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provides grants to water districts and communities to reclaim and reuse wastewater and impaired ground and surface water in the western United States. The funding may be used for the planning, design, or construction of water recycling and reuse projects.
Pure Water Oceanside purifies recycled water to create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof, and environmentally sound. The project will provide more than 32% of the City of Oceanside’s water supply, or 3 to 5 million gallons per day, and is the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County. Prior to Pure Water Oceanside, the city imported approximately 89% of its drinking water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and the Colorado River, hundreds of miles away. Pure Water Oceanside began operation and testing at the end of 2021, and the final construction is expected to be complete at the end of 2022.
“It is very important to the city that Pure Water Oceanside is affordable for our community,” said Water Utilities Director Lindsay Leahy. “We have made great strides through the award of multiple grants, loans, and incentive programs through the Bureau of Reclamation, EPA, Department of Water Resources, Metropolitan Water District, and the San Diego County Water Authority. We are thankful for the continued support from the Bureau of Reclamation; this funding helps to ensure Oceanside can continue to develop a cost-effective, reliable, local water supply.”
Pure Water Oceanside was previously awarded a combined $7.7 million for the fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021 Title XVI WIIN grant opportunity, totaling $17.6 million with this year’s award. The city also received $3.115 million in state grant funding for the project from the Department of Water Resources. These funds result from Proposition 1, a bond measure approved by voters in 2014 to improve water infrastructure statewide.
EPA selected Pure Water Oceanside and portions of the city’s recycled systems for a Federal WIFIA loan. The interest rate on the loan was 1.20%. Additionally, Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority also approved Local Resources Program funding, which provides a financial incentive to develop local water supplies.
