Oceanside water to receive $1.385 million in funding
OCEANSIDE–The city was notified on May 24 that it will receive $1.385 Million in funding from the Bureau of Reclamation under WaterSMART’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program.
The funding will be used to construct a pump station at the Mission Basin Desalter Facility to operate at full capacity year-round, making an additional 1,600 Acre-Feet of local water supplies available each year.
To be eligible for funding, projects needed to start construction during Fiscal Year 2011 and be completed within 24 months. Projects must also be a water reclamation and reuse project and be specifically authorized under Title XVI of Public Law 102-575. The pump station project is included in the City’s proposed FY 11/12 Capital Improvement Budget, which will be considered by the Oceanside City Council at June 1 Council Meeting.
Reclamation selected eight projects from applicants responding to a December 13, 2010, funding opportunity announcement for Title XVI Construction Activities for Fiscal Year 2011. Eligible applications were evaluated against selection criteria focused on reducing existing diversions or addressing specific water supply issues in a cost-effective manner, addressing environmental and water quality concerns, and meeting other program goals.
The Bureau of Reclamation will work with each successful applicant to develop a financial assistance agreement for each project. Funding will be provided once each agreement has been executed.
The Title XVI program is focused on identifying and investigating opportunities to reclaim and reuse wastewaters and naturally impaired ground and surface water in the 17 Western States and Hawaii. Title XVI projects have the potential to stretch water supplies using both time-tested methodologies and piloting new concepts.
Recent rate increases by the City have been focused on deferred maintenance and the need to fund projects such as the pump station. “This is a big win for the Oceanside ratepayers,” said Cari Dale, Water Utilities Director. “These Federal dollars will help offset overall project costs and stretch our capital improvement dollars.”
A total of 8 construction projects were selected for funding in FY 2011. They include:
· Calleguas Municipal Water District (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
· Inland Empire Utilities Agency (Chino Creek Area, Calif.)
· City of Oceanside (California)
· City of San Jose (California)
· Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (Hesperia, Calif.)
· City of Corona (California)
· Sonoma County Water Agency (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
· Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (Lake Elsinore, Calif.)