Caltrans gets $7.6 million for stormwater clean-up devices along Ventura County highways

Mike Harris, Ventura County Star
·1 min read
Stormwater runoff sand filter.
Stormwater runoff sand filter.

Funded with $7.6 million from the state, the California Department of Transportation plans to construct and install devices to purify stormwater runoff along highways 34, 101 and 150 in Ventura County.

The devices will reduce the amount of trash deposited into the Ventura River Estuary in Ventura, the Revolon Slough in Oxnard and the Beardsley Wash near Oxnard, Caltrans says.

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The agency will install biofiltration swales, which are effective at trapping litter, soil particles and particulate metals from runoff, according to Caltrans. Also to be installed are devices that remove gross solids 3/16-inch or greater and sand filters.

The funding is part of $2.2 billion allocated last month by the California Transportation Commission to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state. Most of the allocation for Ventura County, $6.7 million, comes from the federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act.

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“Caltrans welcomes the allocation of funding for the installation of stormwater treatment devices along our state highways in Ventura County," Karen Fong, chief of Caltrans District 7's project management office, said in a statement.

District 7 services Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Construction of the devices is scheduled to begin in the winter and end in fall 2026.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Stormwater runoff devices to be installed along Ventura County highways