The Secretary of the Interior announced they are recommending a $9.9 million grant award for construction of the Pure Water Oceanside project. The funding will be awarded via the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects funding opportunity. Oceanside is one of twenty-five applicants being named in the Federal appropriations process for this funding.
Through the Title XVI program, 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 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 year 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 (DWR). 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 Oceanside’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.
For more information about Pure Water Oceanside, visit: www.PureWaterOceanside.org.
