Oxnard staff outline $141 million-plus water infrastructure needs, describe blending and testing processes

City staff presented an overview of Oxnard's water supply, treatment and a five-year capital improvement program that identifies roughly $141,000,000 in needed water infrastructure projects.

A staff presenter said some imported surface water comes from snowmelt in California's Sierra Nevada and travels more than 500 miles through the State Water Project. The presenter described Oxnard's locally managed groundwater resources and explained that some groundwater pulled from local aquifers has high mineral and salt content; that water is pretreated, sent to a groundwater desalter that uses reverse osmosis, then blended with other supplies before additional treatment and disinfection.

Staff said the utility conducts more than 3,700 water-sample tests each year for about 300 different constituents and reports results to the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water. The presenter said the utility ensures Oxnard's water quality meets or exceeds federal, state and local drinking-water regulations.

Staff outlined several capital projects included in the five-year CIP: a $4,100,000 project that replaced corroded cast-iron pipes in La Colonia with new PVC piping; a $13,300,000 program to replace water distribution mains in the Hobson and Kamala neighborhoods; and a nearly $30,000,000 investment to replace water meters for all Oxnard customers. The presenter described the city's age — nearly 120 years — and a population figure cited in the presentation of more than 200,000 residents as factors driving the need for continued infrastructure replacement.

No formal council action or vote on the CIP was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.