OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Oceanside officials broke ground Wednesday on Pure Water Oceanside, a recycled-water purification plant billed as the first of its kind in the county.
The $67 million project will take water from Oceanside's San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility and purify it to drinking water standards in a way project proponents describe as "clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound."
The site's technology will be used to replicate and accelerate the natural recycling process to provide 3 million to 5 million gallons of fresh water a day, more than 32% of Oceanside's water supply.
"Today, we put Pure Water Oceanside on the map and are one step closer to achieving the goal of greater water independence for our city, residents and businesses," said Cari Dale, Oceanside's water utilities director. "This future-focused project will provide multiple benefits by reusing our water resources to their full potential."
Oceanside imports most of its water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and the Colorado River, each hundreds of miles away and requiring significant energy and infrastructure costs to run and maintain.
Pure Water Oceanside is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
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