Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced a $300,000 federal grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that was awarded to United Water Conservation District to build an iron and manganese filtration system for deep wells at the El Rio Water Treatment and Groundwater Recharge Facility. This project will help maintain a reliable supply of water during drought conditions.
“Reliable access to water is essential for our families, our community, and our agricultural economy,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I am so happy to see Ventura County receive this funding because making better use of technology to filter and treat our water supplies is a smart way to increase our ability to use both shallow and deep groundwater and better prepare for future drought conditions.”
United Water Conservation District operates a 335-square mile service area on the Santa Clara River Valley and the Oxnard Plain, providing both potable water to major cities in the region, with groundwater augmentation as well as surface water that supports the more than $2 billion agricultural economy in Ventura County. According to the project summary, this project will result in better management of 11,757 acre-feet of water per year.
“We are very appreciative of the federal government’s support of the United Water Conservation District’s efforts to combat the collateral damage resulting from the region’s sustained period of drought. The District’s Board of Directors and staff have been working diligently to educate our legislature and federal agencies to the serious challenges in Ventura County regarding access to safe, clean water. This grant from the Bureau of Reclamation will get us to the next step, which is final design of the Iron and Manganese filtration system that will ultimately benefit the several economically disadvantaged communities that receive their drinking water from the District’s Oxnard Hueneme (OH) Pipeline system,” said United Water Conservation District General Manager Mauricio E. Guardado, Jr.
Learn more about the project here.
Issues: 115th Congress, Local Issues, Transportation and Infrastructure