Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder addressing the assembled crowd .

by Richard Lieberman

To turn wastewater into safe drinking water Ventura has been awarded a federal loan amounting to $174 million. The loan will cover half the cost of a new program that will convert treated wastewater into safe drinking water. Currently wastewater from the city is sent to the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility. Once there it is treated and cleaned then discharged into Santa Clara River Estuary. When the program is completed a portion of this treated water will be sent to a new Advanced Water Purification Facility for reuse.

At a news conference held at the city’s water reclamation plant, speakers said the new program will be beneficial to the environment, increase water supplies by around 20%, and will be a safeguard to the community against drought.

Speaking to the assembled crowd Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder called the award a “monumental milestone” at the event where federal, state, and city officials gathered to revel in the $174 million in new funding. The project is called Ventura Water Pure and upon completion will supply the city with a scientifically proven method that will treat wastewater to drinking water standards.

The loans will pay for about half of the $354 million slated to be spent on the initial phases of the program, said Director Linda Sumansky. Currently 5.5 million gallons of treated effluent are going into the estuary on a daily basis. Around 60% of that will be diverted to an advanced purification plant slated to be built for the project. “The plan is to get to zero discharge. “Said Vince Ines, wastewater utility manager for the city” Another phase of the project which will let all the effluent to be diverted will cost the city an additional $80 million.

Ventura is one of the largest cities in Southern California to rely solely on local water supplies. Rainfall feeds the Ventura River, Lake Casitas, and groundwater basins to meet all community needs. Prolonged drought conditions and increasing environmental regulations have created challenging conditions to maintain and increase local water sources.

This new program began after a 2012 legal settlement with environmental groups over discharge of wastewater into the estuary, which provides habitats for birds and fish. Under the current plan wastewater will be sent to a facility being built near Ventura Harbor for advanced treatment. After treatment, the water will be injected into underground basins and blended with groundwater before being made available to water customers in Ventura. Vince Ines wastewater utility manager said “the resulting water will be better tasting and of a higher quality than it is now”

State Officials have not yet approved regulations to allow cities to sell converted wastewater by itself as potable water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the loan, as part of a $50 billion water initiative supporting infrastructure projects initiated by the Biden administration an EPA official said.

“WE have to diversify the water supply and conserve what we have, especially, in the context of the climate crisis,” said Radhika Fox, assistant administrator for water at the EPA.

The city will, of course, need to repay the loan. Terms so far are the city will repay the 35-year loans at an interest rate of 3.66% with revenues paid by water customers. Increases in water rates have already been approved at 6% for water and 7% for wastewater but another rate study will be started in the next couple of years.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for awarding the City of Ventura a transformative$173 million WIFIA loan. This funding is a vital investment in our community’s water infrastructure, ensuring the well-being and prosperity of our residents. With the EPA’s support, we can embark on crucial projects that will enhance our drinking water systems, improve wastewater treatment, and promote sustainable water practices,” said Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder.

Photos by Patricia Schallert

Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder presented the annual State of the City Address at two events on Thursday, May 25, 2023. The first presentation was hosted by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and held in the ballroom of Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach the second was held at the Museum of Ventura County and hosted by the City of Ventura.

Topics highlighted during the 2023 State of the City presentation included:

• Overview of the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget.
• Fiscal Year 2024 City Council goals.
• The X Games coming to Ventura in July 2023.
• Completion of the Classification & Compensation Study.
• $173 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan for VenturaWaterPure.
• Successfully securing over $66 million in grant funding for various Citywide projects.
• Travel related spending and local tax revenue
• Encouragement to get involved in the City’s Economic Development Five Year Strategic Plan.
• Project highlights and accomplishments from Community Development, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Ventura Water, Police, and Fire.

Zach Benner receiving his award from Fire Chief David Endaya

During National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week the Ventura Fire Department was proud to recognize Zach Benner as its Paramedic of the Year. Additionally, the Department honored 28 employees with 33 Lifesaving Medals for excellent service to the City of Ventura.

Zach Benner has been a firefighter-paramedic with the Ventura Fire Department for 7 years and was awarded the Paramedic of the Year honor for providing high-quality care to those in need, serving as the secondary acting EMS Coordinator when needed, and showcasing himself as an exemplary leader among his peers.

“Our firefighter-paramedics are highly trained professionals who provide life-saving care in dangerous situations and put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of our community,” said Fire Chief David Endaya. “I am proud to lead such an exceptional team and thank them for their commitment to our city, residents, and visitors.”

In 2022, Ventura firefighter-paramedics responded to over 18,000 calls for service, over 13,500 of which were EMS-related responses.

Currently, Ventura Fire has 79 EMS professionals who engage in continuous classroom and manipulative training exercises annually to maintain fine skills and licensure.

The Ventura Fire Department is currently hiring Lateral Firefighter-Paramedics. Learn more and apply online at www.CityofVentura.ca.gov/Jobs.

Chief Endaya welcomes the latest batch of fire academy graduates. 

by Mira Reverente

Some people just seem to know what they want early on in life.

As a second grader, David Endaya knew he wanted to be a firefighter paramedic. His inspiration was a neighbor across the street, a real-life LA city firefighter. “He was my first vision of a firefighter in the flesh and what a firefighter did, aside from being just a really great person,” says Endaya. “There were many after him but he was the one that definitely left a mark.”

His parents, both immigrants, had instilled in Endaya and his older sister the value of education and hard work, so he attended college at UC Santa Barbara, while also taking paramedic classes at Santa Barbara City College.

He became a paramedic back in 1994, with the City of Ventura, when the city still had ambulances. While most firefighters now get hired straight out of the fire academy, Endaya received some great advice when he was starting out. “I was advised to get my bachelor’s first then earn my paramedic license,” he says, recalling how stiff the competition was back then when the number of applicants far outnumbered the number of vacancies. “There were people ahead of me who had been testing for about a year or two so I had to learn how to test well and just be persistent and patient.”

The best part of the job, as cliche as it sounds, is really the ability to help people on a daily basis. He remembers a horrible accident as a kid, not too far from his childhood home in Arleta, where the firefighters arrived and calmly worked the scene. Young David thought, “What a cool job that is to have the ability to work a scene calmly and know what to do.”

It is humbling to realize that someone’s best fighting chance at survival in a very dire situation is sometimes just you, according to the 52-year-old Endaya.. “You’re almost never off-duty. You could be on vacation with your family or on a flight and you’ll still be called to jump in if there’s an emergency. It goes with the territory, in or out of uniform,” he adds.

While most of us usually have pleasant thoughts and happy associations with holidays, Endaya associates some holidays with emergencies that transpired that day. They got seared in his mind and the memories have stayed with him through the years from his days as a paramedic to becoming fire chief in 2014.

In the past few years, he hasn’t gone out on calls as much as he used to, until something large like the Thomas Fire happened in 2017. “I had to head out and help,” he recalls that period. “It was all hands on deck but organized chaos. I’m really proud of how our county and the various agencies responded during that time.”

About 70 to 85% of calls are medical emergencies. For example, a car crash is a separate type of call, but it often has a medical component. Another example is a structural fire. It has a medical component as well due to possible smoke inhalation. A majority of the calls are bonafide medical emergencies like trauma, seizures, childbirth and the like.

Also, the Safe Surrender program is still in place in most fire stations around California. Under this program, parents can safely surrender their newborns without any questions asked.

Looking forward, Endaya says a seventh fire station is being considered. The sixth and last one was built in 1988. Part of a five-year strategic plan is looking for potential locations and designs for number seven. Also looking at increasing gender diversity within the ranks and hiring more female firefighters. According to Endaya, there is no shortage of female applicants but the job market has become so competitive that prospects find themselves sifting through multiple job offers.

If he weren’t fighting fires and attending to emergencies, he thinks he would still be in a job which allows him to make a difference. He says, “I’ve thought of becoming a helicopter or jet pilot maybe, but I know I just have to be around people and solving problems. I would be happiest doing that.”