Oxnard Public Works urges council to prioritize water supply, address deferred maintenance and groundwater adjudication
Loading...
Summary
Public Works Director Michael Wolf told the council the department produces about 23 million gallons of potable water per day, is pursuing capital projects and is involved in an active groundwater adjudication; staff recommended funding CIP work to avoid growing deferred maintenance.
Michael Wolf, Director of Public Works, asked the Oxnard City Council to continue prioritizing water supply and capital projects as the department presents Day 1 of its enterprise-fund review. "We do produce quite a bit of water. You can see there, 23,000,000 gallons per day," Wolf said, citing the city’s potable-water capacity and a high volume of customer service requests.
Wolf told council members the department uses a CIP execution factor to limit rate increases and that the city has been executing capital projects at roughly 25–35% of planned annual levels to keep rates lower. He said that approach has left deferred maintenance that staff want to address through higher CIP execution and long-term asset management planning.
On groundwater rights, a councilmember asked whether the city must engage in litigation to protect access. Wolf confirmed that Oxnard "is in an active lawsuit adjudication" to secure groundwater rights and noted that groundwater remains one of the city’s least expensive sources of water. He described multiple water sources used by the city and said ensuring reliable, economical supplies will remain a council priority.
Wolf also described trends at the wastewater plant, including a recent decline in inflows that staff attribute in part to customer water conservation. He flagged implications for the city’s recycled-water processes and the AWPF, noting that lower inflow volumes could affect treatment output and downstream recycled-water planning.
The presentation concluded with staff recommendations for the council: continue prioritizing adequate water supply, accelerate execution of capital projects on the CIP list where feasible, address deferred maintenance across divisions and pursue grants and long-term planning to limit rate impacts.
The presentation will continue on Day 2 with additional division-level details and project schedules.
