Water Projects Receive Federal Funding Boost Across the Country, Including Locally

The San Diego County Water Authority has been granted $19.4 million for upgrades to the seawater intake at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, it was announced Friday.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of the Interior as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Securing federal funding is part of the water authority’s long-term strategy,” said Mel Katz, water authority board chair. “Maintaining critical infrastructure ensures the continued delivery of safe and reliable water supplies while minimizing the financial impact to our ratepayers.”

The Interior Department awarded $142 million total in grants for large-scale water recycling and desalination projects across the western United States. Another local project, Oceanside’s Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility Well Expansion and Brine Minimization, was awarded $5.3 million.

“We must use every tool that works to develop water sources that build resiliency throughout the west,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “This funding through reclamation’s water recycling and desalination construction programs enables partners to develop new water supplies through treatment of water that can be a part of the water supply portfolio.”

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, praised the funding for the two San Diego County projects and a similar one in Orange County.

“I am thrilled that our region will receive this critical funding to support our water infrastructure,” he said. “In the face of threats from climate change, these projects are essential for ensuring a sustainable and resilient water supply for our communities.

“By investing in innovative solutions like groundwater purification and desalination, we are taking significant steps toward protecting our water resources for future generations.”

The Carlsbad project is intended to improve the existing seawater intake system to secure a local reliable water supply. The federal funds will be used to modify the initial intake and discharge operations, along with construction of a new screening structure to protect sea life.