Oxnard Water GREAT Program Solution

As an ongoing commitment to provide creative solutions to extend our water supplies, the City of Oxnard Water Division meets regularly with members of the GREAT Team. Through these discussions, it has been agreed that groundwater for the desalination facility will be supplied by the United Water Conservation District through its Oxnard-Hueneme Pipeline. Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency pumping allocations for the additional groundwater extractions will be obtained through the exchange of recycled water deliveries for agricultural pumping allocations and/or groundwater injection credits gained as part of the seawater intrusion barrier element. Desalinated water will be supplied to Oxnard and the Port Hueneme Water Agency through the existing water delivery system. Desalination concentrates will be conveyed through a new brine line to a proposed new wetlands to be constructed as part of Calleguas Municipal Water District Regional Salinity Management and Wetlands Enhancement Program.

Recycled water will be obtained from the Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant. Filtration and improved disinfection facilities will be constructed to allow direct use of recycled water for landscape irrigation and agricultural irrigation of certain crops. In addition, because the Port Hueneme Water Agency will receive high quality water from the proposed regional groundwater desalination facility, the three (3) million gallons per day Brackish Water Reclamation Demonstration Facility will be converted to recycled water use to allow aquifer recharge during winter months (i.e., non-irrigation period). Recharged water could then be extracted during the summer months for agricultural irrigation of crops with higher water quality requirements. Aquifer recharge will also reduce seawater intrusion by balancing injection and extraction.

Through direct and indirect (injection-extraction) deliveries of recycled water, groundwater extractions will be significantly reduced. The Groundwater Management Agency will be requested to transfer the associated groundwater extraction credits to the project sponsors. Because some of these credits will be utilized by United Water Conservation District for groundwater extractions at the Forebay, groundwater pumping impacts in the Pleasant Valley area will be reduced and a reduction of the recharge mound will allow increased recharge capacity at the Forebay.