US Bureau of Reclamation to support California projects

The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation will invest approximately $20m in nine water reclamation and reuse projects in California.

Nine projects in California will be provided with cost-shared funding for planning, design and construction of their projects. The Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART programme provided the funding for the California projects under Title XVI of the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act.

Of the total funding, the Watsonville Area Water Recycling Programme will receive $3.9m to reduce over-drafting of groundwater resources and subsequent seawater intrusion. The programme will recycle 4,000 acre-feet of effluent from the city’s wastewater treatment plant each year, which is blended with higher quality water to reduce salinity. This recycled water is then transported to agricultural users for irrigation purposes in the Pajaro Valley.

The Victor Valley Subregional Water Reclamation Authority will secure $3m to support construction of two sub-regional water reclamation plants to produce quality effluent, which will be used to recharge the groundwater basin and serve recycled water to customers in Hesperia and Apple Valley.

The two plants will provide 4,480 acre-feet a year of recycled water with a build-out capacity of 17,920 acre-feet a year.

The Department of the Interior secretary Sally Jewell said that the department can bring some relief to the drought-stricken region through innovative efforts, which will provide communities with a new source of water, support jobs, and stretch their limited water supplies.

"The National Climate Assessment that was just released warns that heat, drought, and competition for water supplies will only increase in California with continued climate change, making water reclamation and reuse an important tool in our efforts to combat climate change," Jewell added.