On August 29, over 300 members of the public turned out to tour the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility to learn more about the proposed VenturaWaterPure project – a future water project that aims to diversify Ventura’s water supply by recovering, purifying, and reusing water that is currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary.
The event hosted a mix of community members, City staff, water reuse professionals, and water agencies from Morro Bay, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, City of Oxnard, and Central Coast Blue – all sharing a common interest in efforts to pilot and implement potable reuse projects to improve the sustainability of vital water resources across California.
The night kicked off with Mayor Matt LaVere welcoming the community to the event. “This treatment facility has supported our community for more than 60 years. We want you to tour the facility to see first-hand the infrastructure and processes involved in treating wastewater to protect public health and the environment,” said Mayor LaVere.
Guests were broken up into groups and led through the treatment plant with tours ending at the site of the former VenturaWaterPure demonstration facility piloted in 2015-16. A short video was played showcasing the need for a resilient, long term water supply solution in Ventura accompanied by static displays of treatment technologies and experts were available to explain advanced purification technologies. Members of the MERITO foundation – a non-profit focused on watershed and ocean education for youth in Ventura, led bird watching tours for kids at the facility’s wildlife ponds. To cap off the night, guests were given an opportunity to taste bottled advanced purified water from Orange County’s Indirect Potable Reuse system and pose for photos.
“A new advanced water purification facility, VenturaWaterPure, would take the product water you will see today and treat it to its purest form, creating a new, locally owned supply that isn’t rainfall dependent,“ explained Mayor LaVere.
For more information on the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility and its role in protecting public health and the VenturaWaterPure project visit www.venturawater.net.
