LTE: Plan Reduces Water Rates and Imported Water Dependency

Ventura County water experts argue that, “Without major, immediate changes, Ventura’s water shortages will be at a scary level within five years.”

A Grand Jury reported that, “Ventura County may have survived the worst of the state’s drought but …. Several cities rely too much on imported water and haven’t developed plans for an emergency water shortage.”

Southern California will experience another major earthquake. First responders have been told that it may be months before essential services like food, water and electricity are operational.

It is clear that Ventura County cities need to address the issue because the Sacramento legislature is not. The cities are on their our own to solve this one.

Consider the following model for independence from imported water.

The City of Thousand Oaks wastewater treatment plant, prepares over 8.5 million gallon per day of wastewater to an advanced tertiary level which is pumped back into the Calleguas Creek. This means high quality and safe drinking water suitable for unrestricted reuse is being put back into nature.

Why not redirect this high quality water to the Calleguas Water Treatment Plant for reuse instead of dumping it into a creek?

Preliminary calculations reveal this creative and economically viable solution gives the city a continuous revenue stream, become less dependent on imported water from Los Angeles and water rate reduction for the Conejo Valley residents.

Redirecting the treated water to the Calleguas Water Treatment plant saves Thousand Oaks residents approximately $11.4 million dollars annually. It will make the city approximately 57% less dependent on Los Angeles’s imported water.

This model has been presented to the Thousand Oaks City Council with the encouragement to develop it.

Dr. Kevin McNamee

Candidate for Thousand Oaks City Council

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