United Water Conservation District tells Fillmore council its recharge operations benefit city wells; details $352 million Santa Felicia Dam safety project

United Water Conservation District officials told the Fillmore City Council on Aug. 12 that the district’s river diversion, recharge basins and recent imports from the State Water Project have substantially increased groundwater in the Fillmore Basin and helped stabilize a city production well. The district also described its Santa Felicia Dam safety-improvement project — including replacement of the dam’s outlet works and a spillway upgrade — with a current construction cost estimate of $352 million and a multiyear funding plan that relies on low-interest loans and competitive grants.

The update was presented by Mauricio Guardado, general manager of United Water Conservation District, who opened the presentation by outlining the district’s operations across a roughly 375-square-mile service area and the role of groundwater in Ventura County. “Most of the water use within the county here or this site within the district is actually from groundwater,” Guardado said, explaining why recharge is a priority for region-wide supply reliability.

United’s water-resources supervisor, Dr. Brahm Serkou, described how the district uses releases from Lake Piru and diversions at the Freeman Diversion to capture winter flows and intentionally recharge aquifers through spreading basins. Serkou showed monitoring data comparing…