Ventura project to connect with state water supply gets $5M grant from feds
A Ventura project to build a pipeline that connects the city to the Calleguas Municipal Water District — a supplier of state water — has received $5 million in federal funding.
On Monday, the Department of the Interior announced $147.6 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, including the Ventura effort. The money will support a total of 42 projects in 10 Western states aimed at increasing reliability of water supplies amid drought and other challenges.
The Ventura City Council approved the pipeline connection project in 2019. It is expected to go out to bid soon, with construction likely starting next year.
Ventura has had rights to State Water Project supplies since the early 1970s, but without a connection it couldn't access that water.
Calleguas, a wholesaler based in Thousand Oaks, supplies state water imported from Northern California to much of Ventura County, from Simi Valley to the Oxnard Plain.
“As communities across the West continue to face the impacts of ongoing drought, the Biden-Harris administration is making record investments to safeguard local water supplies and build climate resilience now and into the future,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement.
In 2019, Ventura's proposed interconnection project was estimated to cost $50 million including planning, design, easement acquisition, legal fees, permitting and construction.
When complete, the pipeline could transport about 5,400 acre-feet per year of the state supply through Ventura's new connection. An acre-foot, a unit used to measure large quantities of water, is about 326,000 gallons.
The city applied for the grant funding last year.
"I think that this is a good example of how the city is working to access funding to help offset ratepayer costs," said Gina Dorrington, general manager for Ventura Water, on Tuesday.
Ventura has faced severe and numerous droughts over the past decade, Dorrington said, which led to the funding approval.
When the project goes out for construction bidding in the fall, officials will get a better idea of the total cost, she said. The $5 million will go toward construction costs since the design is already complete.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura project to access state water receives $5 million from feds
