Local Water Supplies to Get a Boost in 2009

A San Diego water agency is tapping into more local groundwater supplies to reduce the county's reliance on imported water. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has more.

The San Diego County Water Authority has built two wells that will increase the amount of groundwater pumped to a desalter facility in Oceanside.

The water authority's Daniel Diehr managed the project. He says the added wells will bring thousands of gallons of brackish, salty water to the plant, turning it into fresh water for Oceanside residents.

Diehr : They'll have about 20 percent of their demands be serviced by groundwater as opposed to 90 percent of the water coming from the Colorado River and State Water Project.

He says that boost to Oceanside's daily water needs will come in 2009, after the construction of a pump house and pipeline. The authority says adding new local sources of water reduces the reliance on sources outside the county. The authority's goal is to have local groundwater make up 7 percent of the county water supply by 2020.

Ed Joyce, KPBS News.