The Department of Water Resources has announced the first round of projects to be awarded grant funding by the Water Desalination Grant Program as part of the Continuous Application Process (CAP1).
Announced April 12, the grants will fund the construction, planning, and design of potable water desalination facilities for both brackish and ocean water sources. The West Basin Municipal Water District received the bulk of the funding for two projects:
- $547,295 in grant funding for the C. Marvin Brewer Desalter Facility Improvement Project, a construction project that will install a new well at an existing groundwater desalination facility.
- $500,000 in grant funding for an environmental documentation project to prepare the final Environmental Impact Report for a proposed ocean desalination facility.
The cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley received the remainder of the grant funds for feasibility studies to assess potential desalination projects.
The grants assist in the planning and implementation of projects that support local water supply reliability. DWR is currently reviewing the next group of applications, referred to as CAP2. Draft funding recommendations are expected to be released in early May.
