California water recycling gets $132 million in federal grants

Twenty-six projects in California, including two in San Diego County, will share about $132 million in federal economic stimulus funds for water recycling projects, it was announced today.

The funding will be provided through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Water Reclamation and Reuse Program. Receiving funding in San Diego County were the Helix Water District in La Mesa, which got $375,000 for a project to use purified recycled water for groundwater recharge in the El Monte Valley.

The Padre Dam Municipal Water District received $1.24 million to expand its water recycling facility. California water agencies received funding for all but one of the 27 projects announced by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Officials from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California praised President Barack Obama and California’s congressional delegation for the latest round of economic stimulus funding.

“Today’s federal investments will help pave the way for water reclamation and reuse projects and programs that will expand the reliability of statewide resources and bring longterm sustainable water supplies within reach for all of California,” said MWD board Chairman Timothy Brick.

“This level of federal funding for California projects, particularly in the state’s south coastal plain, will not only bring drought relief and jobs, but also the promise of balancing local resources with imported supplies,” he said. “This balance is part of the ongoing effort to address the needs of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s fragile ecosystem and to secure a more reliable water system serving 25 million Californians.”

The funding announced today is part of $1 billion in federal economic stimulus funds slated for water projects across the West. California’s water supplies have been severely impacted by years of drought and a decision that limits the amount of water that can be pumped from Northern California to protect an endangered fish.

Tags: Economy, Environment, federal, grant, SDNN, water recylcling

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