Tag Archive for: Bureau of Reclamation

(L to R) Escondido City Manager Sean McGlynn; Escondido Director of Utilities Angela Morrow PE; Escondido City Councilmember Michael Morasco; Deputy Mayor Christian Garcia; Escondido Mayor Dane White; Councilmember Consuelo Martinez; Councilmember Joe Garcia; Escondido Deputy City Manager Chris McKinney. Photo: City of Escondido water reuse

New Escondido Water Reuse Plant Supports Area Farmers

The City of Escondido achieved an important milestone in its efforts to create a high-quality alternative water source to support its local agricultural growers in August.

The city and its partners, including the Filanc Brown and Caldwell (FBC) Joint Venture, dedicated the newly completed water reuse treatment plant at an August 28 event. The AgX Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility) is a first-of-its-kind facility producing water for agricultural use in California.

The new $65 million facility completed construction in November 2023.

Lowering costs, increasing water supply resilience

The exterior of the new AgX Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility), a first-of-its-kind facility producing water for agricultural use in California. Photo: City of Escondido water reuse

The exterior of the new AgX Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility), a first-of-its-kind facility producing water for agricultural use in California. Photo: City of Escondido

The AgX MFRO Facility takes water redirected from an ocean outfall, which was reaching capacity and would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to upsize. Water is now redirected to the MFRO Facility and treated for beneficial reuse by producing water with salinity (salt) levels ideal for agriculture, such as avocado growers.

Farmers benefit from paying lower water rates. With agricultural water use shifted to this new supply, potable water the farmers previously used is now available for other users, increasing local water resiliency.

This project is a rare win-win water solution for augmenting supply while alleviating demand. In an era of water scarcity, it provides a sustainable, local supply and a cost-effective alternative to potable water.

“This is an important milestone for Escondido’s recycled water system,” said Angela Morrow, City of Escondido Director of Utilities. “The MFRO Facility will provide a reliable, affordable, and high-quality water supply to our agricultural community for generations to come while beneficially reusing wastewater and reducing our reliance on imported water.”

Escondido water reuse project funded through multiple agreements

Escondido Mayor Dane White at the ribbon cutting for the new AgX Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility). Photo: City of Escondido

Escondido Mayor Dane White at the ribbon cutting for the new AgX Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility). Photo: City of Escondido

Funding for this project was provided in full or in part through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board and in part through agreements with the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and State of California, Department of Water Resources.

Headquartered in Escondido, Filanc is an award-winning general engineering and design-build contractor that solely constructs, renovates, and expands water and wastewater treatment, biosolids management, and waste-to-energy facilities throughout the Western United States.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 50 offices and over 2,100 professionals across North America and the Pacific in operation for 75 years.

 

Two Congressmen Request Review after Times Report on Central Valley Water Heist

Two members of Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office to review how vulnerable the Bureau of Reclamation is to water theft following a Los Angeles Times report on an audacious and long-running heist from a federal canal in the Central Valley.

The facts related in the story “raise serious concerns about how widespread water theft is and what Reclamation can do to prevent water theft in the future,” Reps. Jarred Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote in their letter requesting the review.

U.S. Government Awards $520 Million to Revitalize Aging Water Delivery Systems

Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis announced more than $520 million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to revitalize aging water delivery systems across the western U.S.

California’s Lake Shasta Set to Fill Completely

Lake Shasta could reach its full capacity this spring, following a high amount of rainfall in California. The largest reservoir in California has been steadily rising since the beginning of March. It has gone up sharply since the start of the year, which saw its levels at 1,012 feet, compared to its current level on April 5 of 1,058 feet

US States to Conserve Land, Water With Solar On Canals

Three projects in California, Utah, and Oregon will soon integrate solar panels onto water canals, thanks to federal funding from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which allocated $25 million for PV installations co-located with water reclamation facilities.

Sites Reservoir Aims to Reshape California’s Water Landscape

Colusa County, California, could soon be home to the largest new reservoir in the state in 50 years. In accordance with the Bureau of Reclamation’s recommendation, Congress greenlit the allocation of $205.6 million in federal funding for the Sites Reservoir Project under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act).

3 New California Agreements Announced to Save Colorado River Water; Billions Adding Up

The federal government announced three new conservation agreements to bolster water storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell on Tuesday. The new agreements total about 400,000 acre-feet of water savings — more than twice the amount of Colorado River water used by Las Vegas over the past year.

5 Southern Nevada Water Issues To Watch In 2024

It was just 18 months ago when the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation warned that the Colorado Water River system was in danger of collapse unless wholesale water use reductions were enacted — cutbacks much bigger than the system has ever seen.

Officials Commit to Deals to Conserve Colorado River Water

California water districts and Bureau of Reclamation officials today commemorated a series of 21 water conservation agreements that will save 1.6 million acre feet of Colorado River water through 2026.

Reclamation Pumps $295M Into California Water Savings

The Biden administration signed agreements with California water agencies Wednesday to conserve a significant share of water through 2025, part of a larger effort to stave off potential disaster in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin.

The deals, including some expected to be signed as soon as next week, will save 643,000 acre-feet of water — nearly 210 billion gallons — in Lake Mead, the Bureau of Reclamation said.