Metropolitan Approves Funding for Local Water Supply Projects in San Diego County

Two water recycling projects in San Diego County that ultimately will yield about 5.2 billion gallons annually will receive up to $115 million in incentives from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

In separate actions Tuesday (July 14), Metropolitan's Board of Directors voted to provide the funding to the San Diego County Water Authority and its project partners for water produced by the East County Advanced Water Purification Project in Santee and the Escondido Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility. These projects are projected to yield a combined 16,000 acre-feet per year.

The East County Advanced Water Purification Project will treat wastewater locally to produce purified water, which will be conveyed to Lake Jennings for later distribution. The project is a collaboration among Padre Dam Municipal Water District, San Diego County, the city of El Cajon, and Helix Water District. The Escondido Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility, owned and operated by the city of Escondido, will treat wastewater for agricultural irrigation.

Metropolitan's Local Resources Program provides incentives for member and local agencies to develop new local water supply projects to reduce demand on imported water and increase water supply reliability throughout Southern California. Since the inception of the program in 1982, Metropolitan has provided financial assistance for the production of over 1.2 trillion gallons of recycled water and recovered groundwater.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.