Community THE OSIDER MAY / JUNE 2022
Pure Water Oceanside
WORDS: ELIZABETH SCHWARTZE
Water is life. Even with an abundance of water on planet Earth, it’s estimated that only .3% - .5% is potable water. As a coastal desert climate, San Diego has been reliant upon water sources from far away—channeling water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and Colorado River. A small portion of the city’s water supply is local and comes from a naturally occurring underground aquifer called the Mission Basin. However, the aquifer’s water
supply has declined over years of use. With Oceanside’s growing population, the need for clean, sustainable water will only increase in the upcoming decades. With approximately 85-percent of Oceanside’s water imported, it’s subject to rising costs, requires excessive amounts of energy to transport, and is vulnerable to natural disasters. It became apparent that the sooner Oceanside could provide its own reliable water source, and remove obstacles to access the
water—the better! In anticipation of future needs, and the capacity to affect change within our city boundaries, the City of Oceanside took action. In 2015, a feasibility study was performed and identified indirect potable reuse as economically and structurally feasible for Oceanside. Seven years later, the $70 million project resulted in a fully-functioning, award-winning facility that is cleaning Oceanside’s 42
water—allowing Oceanside to eventually produce 30-percent of its own water. In March 2022, the city of Oceanside held the Grand Opening of Pure Water Oceanside. The project remained on schedule, even receiving an award in 2016 for “Agency of the Year” by the Water Reliability Coalition. “Pure Water Oceanside is a major accomplishment for the City of Oceanside and our community,” said Cari Dale, Water U tilities D irector, Cit y of Oceanside. “Our staff work hard to ensure the City continues to increase our local water supply reliability by reusing our water resources to the fullest potential. D eveloping the first fully operational advanced water purification facility PURE WATER OCEANSIDE WILL: •
Reduce reliance on imported water
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Improve groundwater resources
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Increase local, sustainable water supplies
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Be financially competitive with imported and desalinated water rates
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Enhance resiliency during droughts and climate change
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Be environmentally sound
