March 30, 2022- OMWD GROUNDWATER PROJECT WORKSHOP

The San Dieguito Brackish Groundwater Desalination Project is OMWD’s largest potential capital expense. If the Board approved, the project would provide OMWD customers with about 10% of its water supply from a local groundwater source. The remaining 90% would still be purchased from OMWD’s water wholesalers. 

Its estimated cost is $52,000,000, not including about $6M already expended for investigations dating to 2008. It is hoped that outside federal and state grants will cover about ¼ of the project costs. The Board will make a “go-no go” decision on whether to proceed with this complex project in the next 12-24 months after additional technical and feasibility studies are completed.

There are benefits to OMWD having some locally sourced water, but there are also substantial economic and legal risks.

Please follow this link to the staff and consultant reports submitted at a public project workshop conducted on March 30, 2022: www.olivenhain.com/wp-content/uploads/033022.pdf.

Public awareness and participation in deciding whether to fund this project are essential.

Posted on 30 Mar 2022, 07:17 - Category: News