COMMUNITY NEWS
Water Purification Center Groundbreaking
Soquel Creek Water District Expects Completion in 2023
O
n Friday, the Soquel Creek Water District hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its $88 million Advanced Water Purification Center, which will purify treated Santa Cruz wastewater for recharge wells, addressing seawater intrusion. “After many years of working to find a way to protect our groundwater supply for the long term and achieve sustainability, I am happy to announce that the advanced water purification center — the heart of Pure Water Soquel — is now under construction and anticipated to be completed and operational in 2023,” said incoming Soquel Creek Water District Board President Tom LaHue. “This has been a monumental, multi-year effort.” This construction is on Chanticleer Avenue near Soquel Avenue in Live Oak,
not far from Capitola, which is served by the Soquel Creek Water District. The state considers the Mid-County groundwater basin — the sole source of water supply for customers of Soquel Creek Water District — as “critically overdrafted,” resulting in a shortage of drinking water and verified seawater contamination of the aquifer at several locations. This project is designed to maintain a barrier against further seawater contamination, and provide a high-quality, reliable, and sustainable water supply for generations to come. About 50 invited guests attended the groundbreaking. “Projects like Pure Water Soquel are critical to fighting drought and reducing climate change impacts throughout the West,” said Tomas Torres, director of the Region 9 Water Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is
helping finance the treatment system. “This represents the future of water in the West.” State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel said, “Water recycling is a creative solution, and we are working with partners like the Soquel Creek Water District to help broaden access to recycling projects beyond big, major cities.”
Other dignitaries who spoke: Richard Welsh, principal deputy regional director for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Interior Region 10, State Senator John Laird and State Assemblymember Mark Stone. “Groundbreaking” page 12
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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / December 15th 2021 / 11
