SOQUEL — The construction of 8 miles of water pipeline that will be integral to the Pure Water Soquel project, was approved by Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors this week.
The Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin, from which at least 50,000 residents depend on for drinking water, has been deemed critically depleted by the state. Years of intensive pumping for agriculture and drinking water has drawn out more water from the aquifer than is being replenished naturally by rainwater. That’s led to seawater seeping into underground storage and wells. The Pure Water project aims to bolster groundwater levels in the aquifer, and prevent seawater contamination, which has already been detected in some areas.
The water-recycling project, according to the Soquel Creek Water District, will produce about 490 million gallons of purified water yearly. The project includes two water treatment elements — the first will create recycled water at the Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility. The second component is a water purification plant to be constructed at Chanticleer and Soquel Avenue. From there, the treated water will be injected into three planned “Seawater Intrusion Prevention” wells.
“By putting this purified water back into the ground, it’s creating that positive pressure, that barrier, to prevent that seawater intrusion from creeping inland,” said Melanie Mow Schumacher, communications manager with the Soquel Creek Water District.
Residents living in Capitola to La Selva Beach who are served by the Soquel Creek Water District depend solely on the Mid-County Basin for drinking water. In addition, private well owners, residents in Live Oak, as well as those served by Central Water District and various small mutual water companies, are also dependent on the underground reservoir.
“We are one of the few areas in California that rely on local water sources,” said Mow Schumacher. “We don’t get any state or imported water, and we have seawater contamination affecting our sole source of supply.”
Soquel Creek, along with other agencies, are under a mandate by the state to bring the Mid-County Basin back to a sustainable level. The reservoir is one of 21 in California defined as critically depleted.
Contractors are scheduled to break ground on the water pipeline construction as soon as this May, according to the Soquel Creek Water District. That phase of the project is slated to cost more than $34 million and to be completed by early 2023.
So far, officials have received $50 million from the State Water Resources Control Board, a low-interest loan from the federal EPA, as well as some other grant funding.
The news comes as Santa Cruz County has shown some early indications of drought. Despite rain showers this week, according to city records as of March 15 precipitation that’s fallen over the winter season thus far, hovers at 57% of the city’s historical average. The Loch Lomond reservoir is currently at a little more than 72% capacity.
Manu Koenig, 1st District Santa Cruz County Supervisor, said Pure Water is one part of a larger-effort to amp up water supply and protect drinking water resources across Santa Cruz.
“This is not an isolated solution,” Koenig said. “Some critics of the project might say we need to look at all possible alternatives and that recycled water is a relatively energy intensive process…but I would say we really are doing everything we can to address the shortfalls in our area — this is just one piece of the solution.”
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March 19, 2021 at 06:33AM
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Next phase of Pure Water Soquel project gets green light - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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