California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
Palmdale Water District (PWD) announced last week it has received a $14.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help pay for the Pure Water Antelope Valley (AV) Demonstration Facility.
This loan is expected to save PWD about $4 million in interest over a 20-year period compared to traditional financing. The Demonstration Facility, which will purify recycled water to produce a cost-effective and more reliable high-quality water supply, will cost $24.5 million. Groundbreaking took place on June 20, and construction is expected to take 15 months.
“We are grateful to the EPA for awarding this loan for our Pure Water AV Demonstration Facility,” said PWD General Manager Dennis D. LaMoreaux. “It gives us the funds needed to build a project that will enable us to be more drought-proof, have local control of our water, and improve the groundwater quality and quantity.”
The master agreement between PWD and EPA calls for a total loan of $145 million to build the Pure Water AV Demonstration Facility and a full-scale facility, estimated to cost $281.3 million. Once operational, Pure Water AV will sustain more than 20 full-time jobs over its 50-year lifespan.
“California is no stranger to drought impacts, and we are seeing a need for communities to invest in drought-resilient water supply as they prepare for future climate stress,” said Bruno Pigott, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. “We are thrilled to help the Palmdale Water District advance their project ensuring a plentiful and resilient water supply through EPA’s low-cost financing. The Biden-Harris Administration has been prioritizing critical water infrastructure projects across the country through the investing in America agenda.”
Pure Water AV will have a purification room that will run recycled water through micro-filtration filters, reverse osmosis filters and ultraviolet light with advanced oxidation. The state-of-the art procedure will remove more than 99.99% of bacteria, viruses and ions (like salt).
The Demonstration Facility is required by the state before a full-scale project can be built. When the full-scale facility is operational in mid-2029, it will provide an additional 5,000 acre-feet of water per year by using recycled water and treating it for groundwater augmentation. The facility will be the first advanced water treatment plant in California to house “Project Monarch,” a water management and carbon capture equipment supplied by Capture6 that will save PWD costs for brine disposal. For more information about Pure Water AV, visit www.purewaterav.org.
