Pure Water Southern California to receive nearly $100 million to advance development of new climate-resilient water supplies
Carson, California, May 28, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation today increased funding for the Metropolitan Water Authority's program to create a new water source for Southern California by cleaning up water currently being discharged into the ocean.
Reclamation Commissioner Camille Karimlim Tuton announced the $99.2 million in funding for Pure Water Southern California at an event held at the Regional Reclaimed Water Program's demonstration plant in Carson, which was attended by Sen. Alex Padilla, Assemblywoman Grace Napolitano, California Water Resources Control Board Chairman Joaquin Esquivel, and representatives from the Metropolitan and Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and other water agencies awarded federal funds.
“An adequate, resilient and safe water supply is essential to the health, economy and safety of our communities. Investing in water recycling and reuse is key to making better use of limited water supplies and making our system more resilient to the impacts of aridifying the American West,” said Tuton. “Water recycling is an innovative, cost-effective tool that can make water supplies more reliable and help communities find new sources of water that meet current needs, but most importantly, meet future needs.”
Metropolitan and the Sanitation Board are partnering on the Pure Water Project, which will use an advanced, multi-stage purification process to purify purified wastewater currently discharged into the ocean to produce high-quality drinking water. If approved by Metropolitan's Board of Trustees, the program at full scale would produce 150 million gallons of water daily – enough to meet the needs of 500,000 homes – to supply groundwater basins, industrial facilities and Metropolitan's two water treatment plants.
“Purified, reclaimed water is not just a new source of water, it's also a climate-resilient source, which is exactly what we need as climate change causes weather to shift dramatically and each drought seems to be worse than the last. Having a reliable source of water that isn't dependent on the weather will provide a critical source of confidence for our community,” said Metropolitan Board of Trustees Chairman Adan Ortega Jr. “We are incredibly grateful for the support of our federal partners.”
The newly announced federal funding will help expedite the design work and improvements to existing infrastructure needed for the project. Construction could begin as early as 2026, with first water delivery in 2032.
Met General Manager Adel Hagekhalil expressed her gratitude to Secretary Tuton and the Biden Administration for their investment in the Pure Water Program.
“We all have to work together to ensure a reliable water supply for Southern California, and that benefits not just the 19 million people who live here, but the entire state and the entire country. Our businesses and industries are the engines of our nation's economy, and we need water to run that engine,” Hage-Khalil said.
“The Pure Water Demonstration Project is evolving to become a long-term solution to meet our region's water needs by utilizing the last remaining untapped wastewater source,” said Robert Ferrante, general manager and chief engineer for the Los Angeles County Department of Sanitation. “We are grateful for the generous support of our partner agencies and the financial assistance of the Bureau of Reclamation to help us achieve this goal.”
The funding announced today comes from the new Large Scale Water Recycling Program established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which will provide $450 million over five years for large scale water recycling projects in the West. Grants announced today total $179 million. In addition to Pure Water in Southern California, grants were awarded to large scale recycling projects being developed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the City of Ventura and the Washington County Water Conservation District in Utah.
Speakers' comments:
“We know it's only a matter of time before the next devastating drought hits, which is why we need to do everything we can to protect our region's precious water resources. Today's announcement, made possible by investments in large-scale water recycling projects through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, will help build a more reliable, more resilient water resource in Southern California.”
– Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
“I thank Bureau of Reclamation Director and my friend Camille Touton for bringing us together to announce this long-awaited huge investment in a large-scale regional project. I can think of no better facility than Pure Water to receive and participate in this important funding. The Pure Water Project is a shining example of what partnerships with local water agencies like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Department of Sanitation can accomplish. Water instability and unpredictable drought cycles will affect us for years to come. Ensuring water security in our communities requires everyone's cooperation like this and their commitment to dedicate funds to support water recycling projects. I am extremely grateful not only for the leadership of my colleagues in Congress who fought to secure the funds being awarded today, but also for our partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation, who has worked tirelessly in the Biden-Harris Administration to fund critical water infrastructure projects. I look forward to our continued efforts to secure further investments and put more funding into water recycling, especially large-scale water recycling programs.”
– Rep. Grace Napolitano (Democrat, El Monte)
“Water recycling is a key part of Governor Newsom's water supply strategy, replacing water that is expected to be lost by 2040 due to warmer and drier conditions. Thanks to federal and state partnerships through the Clean Water State Recycle Fund, the Commission has allocated more than $1.7 billion for water recycling projects since 2019. Water recycling is a critical and capital-intensive component of our long-term plan, and additional federal support for large-scale recycling efforts like this will help California rise to the climate challenge.”
– Joaquin Esquivel, Chairman of the State Water Resources Control Board
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