The city of Oceanside celebrated World Water Day on Tuesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the first advanced water purification facility in San Diego County.
Pure Water Oceanside will locally supply water that was once imported from hundreds of miles away.
It is the first facility of its kind to go online in San Diego County. It uses advanced technology to turn recycled water into locally sourced clean and safe drinking water.
Cari Dale, the water utilities director for the City of Oceanside said, “Today we made history by moving one step closer to achieving the goal of greater water independence for not only our city, residents and businesses, but also the region as a whole.”
RELATED: California reduces supplies to water agencies amid drought
The $70 million project uses advanced technology, including ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation to provide 3 million gallons per day or more than 20% of the City of Oceanside’s drinking water supply — and 600 new jobs.
The source of the recycled water to create the purified water is the city’s own San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility.
The launching of Pure Water Oceanside coincides with a larger movement for the region as a whole to create sustainable water supplies in San Diego County.
In addition to Pure Water Oceanside, two other water reuse projects are planned for the region: the East County Advanced Water Purification Program and Pure Water San Diego.
“These projects, along with Pure Water Oceanside, supplement our local water supply, increase the reliability and improve sustainability in our region,” said Sanchez.
Congressman Mike Levin, a supporter of the project, said the facility is an investment for future generations and industries.
"We simply lack the natural rainfall to support the population that we have, not to mention future generations, like industries like biotech, manufacturing, craft brewing, because we know that our water demands will only continue in the years ahead," he said.
