Pure Water Oceanside is the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County, providing a new local supply. The facility was officially dedicated with a celebration Tuesday in Oceanside. Elected officials and water leaders throughout Southern California commemorated the milestone which coincided with World Water Day.
Pure Water Oceanside is the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County, providing a new local supply. The facility was officially dedicated with a celebration Tuesday in Oceanside. Elected officials and water leaders throughout Southern California commemorated the milestone which coincided with World Water Day.
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.
“On this World Water Day, we celebrate the City of Oceanside’s contribution to managing our invaluable water resources with the opening of Pure Water Oceanside,” said Cari Dale, City of Oceanside water utilities director. “Today we made history by moving one step closer to achieving the goal of greater water independence for not only our city, residents and businesses, but also the region as a whole.”
The $70 million project uses advanced technology, including ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation to provide 3 million gallons per day or more than 20% of the City of Oceanside’s drinking water supply. The source of the recycled water to create the purified water is from the city’s own San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility.
The City of Oceanside dedicated Pure Water Oceanside today on #WorldWaterDay💧The facility purifies recycled water to provide more than 20% of Oceanside’s drinking water supply. San Diego County Water Authority GM Sandra Kerl: “To see this project come to fruition is monumental.” pic.twitter.com/Flcaakzapx
— Ed Joyce (@EdJoyce) March 22, 2022
“Pure Water Oceanside exemplifies our commitment to innovative projects that improve the lives of the citizens who call our great city home,” said City of Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez. “Not only will the project safeguard against ongoing drought concerns, but it will also improve the quality and quantity of our local aquifer and reduce our reliance on imported water, ensuring clean and reliable water is available for future generations.”
The $70 million project uses advanced technology, including ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation to provide 3 million gallons per day or more than 20% of the City of Oceanside’s drinking water supply. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Pure Water Oceanside addresses a variety of challenges faced by the city. Before the project went online, Oceanside imported most of its water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and the Colorado River, hundreds of miles away. This imported water is subject to rising costs out of the city’s control, requires an enormous amount of energy to transport and is vulnerable to natural disasters and earthquakes. Pure Water Oceanside addresses these challenges by diversifying the city’s water supply and reducing its reliance on imported water.
The launching of Pure Water Oceanside coincides with a larger movement for the region as a whole to create sustainable water supplies in San Diego County. In addition to Pure Water Oceanside, two other water reuse projects are planned for the region: the East County Advanced Water Purification Program and Pure Water San Diego.
(Editor’s note: The City of Oceanside, City of San Diego, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, and the Helix Water District are four of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Construction work is underway in several areas of San Diego, building major infrastructure projects for Phase 1 of Pure Water San Diego.
Pipelines, pump stations, and treatment facilities are all being built in the Morena, Bay Park, Clairemont, University City, Miramar, and Scripps Ranch communities. It is a milestone toward the realization of securing a local, drought-resilient water supply for San Diegans for generations to come.
The Water News Network top stories of 2021 highlight how the region’s water providers ensured a safe, plentiful and reliable water supply, while also looking to the future. And, in the second year of a statewide drought, San Diegans stepped up their water conservation, proving once again, that “water conservation is a way of life in San Diego County.”
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and drought, the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies moved forward on infrastructure projects to increase and maintain local water supply and energy sources for the region.
Potable, or water reuse projects, are online or under construction by the City of San Diego, City of Oceanside and the East County Advanced Water Purification Project, a collaborative effort between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego.
The #1 story of 2021 on the Water News Network was about an academic program that seeks to meet the rapidly growing demands for skilled career professionals in the water and wastewater industry. National University and Cuyamaca College launched a new degree pathway program that started in February 2021.
“Responding to regional workforce needs, National University and Cuyamaca College are excited to roll out the Waterworks Management academic pathway, informed by industry leaders,” said Dr. Sara Kelly, academic program director at National University. Transfer scholarships are available for qualifying students.
Driven by the rapidly growing demands for skilled career professionals in the water and wastewater industry, National University and Cuyamaca College launched a new degree pathway program in February 2021.
#1 most viewed story on the Water News Network in 2021. New Regional Degree Program (January 26) https://t.co/af8QsnQFgX #WorkForWater #cawater #education #jobs
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 22, 2021
The #2 most viewed story on the Water News Network in 2021 … was a story published late in 2020: FRS II: Mission Trails Water Project Takes Shape (December 16, 2020).
💧At #2 – Water News Network Top Stories of 2021: An underground reservoir is being constructed within the park to improve the Water Authority’s untreated water system in the northwest area of Mission Trails Regional Park. https://t.co/5AchK3mvic #WaterInfrastructure #cawater
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 30, 2021
Thank you @LittleJoeTV for visiting our crews in Mission Trails Regional Park and learning more about the Water Authority’s underground reservoir under construction. Learn more about this project and current trail closures: https://t.co/LqXAijUhmB #cawater #missiontrails pic.twitter.com/uHXzMOLsaa
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) April 9, 2021
WNN stories about water reuse projects by the City of San Diego, City of Oceanside and the East County AWP, were among the most viewed in 2021.
The third most-viewed story on Water News Network in 2021: Pure Water Oceanside Project Reaches Milestones
“Today, we put Pure Water Oceanside on the map and are one step closer to achieving the goal of greater water-independence for our city, residents and businesses.”
#3 on Water News Network in 2021: Pure Water Oceanside Project Reaches Milestoneshttps://t.co/0Ub5JHTwBU #cawater— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 29, 2021
In a major milestone for water reliability, the East County AWP was awarded a $388 million federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help advance the project’s completion.
An EPA loan will help fund completion of the East County AWP. The loan was announced June 4 at the East County AWP demonstration facility in Santee. (L to R) Kathleen Hedberg, Helix Water District; Doug Wilson, Padre Dam Municipal Water District; Steve Goble, East County AWP and City of El Cajon; Radhika Fox, U.S. EPA; and Jim Peasley, Bill Pommering, Augie Caires, and Allen Carlisle, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Jack Shu, City of La Mesa. Photo: East County AWP
Pure Water San Diego is the City of San Diego’s phased, multi-year program that will provide more than 40% of San Diego’s water supply locally by the end of 2035. The Pure Water San Diego Program will use proven water purification technology to clean recycled water to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. The Program offers a cost-effective investment for San Diego’s water needs and will provide a reliable, sustainable water supply.
Our Deputy Director was on @NPR’s 1A show to discuss water recycling! Cities recycle wastewater for uses like irrigation. As populations grow & dry climate affects water supplies, some cities are recycling wastewater so it's safe to drink, like #PureWater: https://t.co/0EyGfOrysK
— Pure Water San Diego (@PureWaterSD) December 12, 2021
As part of a voluntary water conservation reduction requested by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, water agencies increased outreach efforts to encourage residents to reduce water-wasting practices. Rebates and programs to spur water conservation will continue into 2022. While the San Diego region has sufficient supplies to weather the current drought due to investments and conservation by residents and water agencies, many areas of the state are facing dire supply issues.
December storms brought snow to the Sierra Nevada and rainfall throughout the state. While one month of storms will not end the current drought, the amount of precipitation, so far, is a welcome start to easing dry times in the Golden State.
8" (~20cm) of #snow over the last 24 hours at our 8am measurement. That brings our December total to 210" (~533cm) and our season total to 264" (~671cm).
We are now at 258% of our avg snowpack through this date and we have received 70% of our avg annual snowfall.#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/5jsydTGJ1Y
— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 29, 2021
Spectrum News 1 LA, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS 8, NBC7, ABC7 and other reporting in 2021 focused on the investments and conservation efforts that ensured a plentiful water supply in the San Diego County region.
New York Times Reporter Jill Cowan reported in 2021 on the water conservation and supply efforts by the San Diego County Water Authority, its 24 member agencies and the residents of the county. Photo: New York Times website
"We ultimately were cut back by over 30% for 13 months. It harmed the economy and harmed the quality of life here. And it really wasn't a situation that we ever wanted to experience again," said Sandy Kerl, @sdcwa General Manager. #cawater #CAdrought https://t.co/NpJNAqDgN9
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 9, 2021
(Editor’s note: The Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the Helix Water District, the City of San Diego, the City of El Cajon, and the City of Oceanside, are five of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
By the end of December, the city will begin turning recycled water into drinkable water through its new, state-of-the-art water purification facility, the first of its kind in San Diego County.
The new water purification system, dubbed Pure Water Oceanside, uses ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and an advanced oxidation process to purify recycled wastewater.
“It’s inspired by the natural water cycle and is the natural next step for recycling our precious water resource that we currently discharge into the ocean without tapping into its full potential,” said Oceanside Water Utilities Director Cari Dale, who has led the project.
The City of Oceanside won an Award of Excellence for its recycled water outreach and education program on its water purification project, called Pure Water Oceanside, at the recent WateReuse California annual conference.
The award recognizes the city’s community outreach on the benefits of water reuse and its furthering of water recycling through its Pure Water Oceanside project.
The project, billed as the first fully operational indirect potable reuse project in San Diego County, is expected to provide about a third of Oceanside’s water supply.
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, also known as Regional San, completed a $564 million wastewater treatment project this summer that uses bacteria to remove more than 99% of ammonia from sewer water. The operation, which is called the Biological Nutrient Removal project, is a part of a larger undertaking called the EchoWater project. The EchoWater project was established by Regional San to comply with regulations and to ensure clean water quality. The effort also allows for the potential reuse of water for landscape and agricultural irrigation.
As Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs new mandatory drought restrictions, Southern California leaders fear cuts in urban water use could force already sky-high water bills ever higher.
Unlike much of Northern and Central California, the region isn’t hurting for water, yet. Top water officials insist they have enough supplies for at least one more hot summer, perhaps two.
A new 360-degree virtual reality video tour takes viewers through the planned East County Advanced Water Purification facilities. Participants are immersed in a guided tour of water facilities, where they can control their view by moving their computer mouse or smartphones to any direction in the video they want to see.
Viewers with a virtual reality headset for smartphones can take engagement one step further by stepping into the video.
The City of Oceanside received an Award of Excellence during the WateReuse conference in September 2021. Oceanside received the Recycled Water Outreach/Education Program Award for Pure Water Oceanside, which pays tribute to an agency that demonstrates a significant and wide-reaching community outreach and/or public education program that informs the community about the presence and benefits of water reuse.
