City seeks to educate public on desalter facility

Hearing set for Dec. 13



An artist rendering of the proposed desalination facility.

The City of Camarillo has selected the land and contracted a designer for the long-discussed groundwater desalination plant, but officials say the project could be taken out of the city’s hands if progress stalls. That could mean an outside water agency would build the desalter and likely not give as much consideration to how it looks or how loud it is.

Assistant City Manager Tom Fox held a public information meeting Oct. 17 at the Camarillo Public Library to discuss the desalter, which is slated to be built on a 5-acre property near Las Posas and Somis roads.

The meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, was introduced by Mayor Jan McDonald, who urged attendees to support the project.

“We’ve been talking about this for 18 years, and hopefully we are getting to the point of seeing progress,” McDonald said.

The desalter is required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 to clean up a plume of brackish surface water that percolated into groundwater through Conejo Creek. The City Council voted unanimously Aug. 23 to have the desalter built near The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Las Posas Road, and last week’s meeting was held to let members of the community ask questions about site selection, environmental risks or other concerns.

To indicate the safety of the facility, Fox pointed to the thousands of similar projects around the United States and to the safety measures in place to prevent chemical spills or mixing.

“It even controls for human error,” he said.

Fox said the city’s design also limits noise pollution. The North Pleasant Valley Groundwater Desalter is expected to be no louder than the ambient noise heard on any given night once traffic has quieted down.

“The project will not generate any discernible noise in the area,” he said.

The assistant city manager said that because of regulations in the 2014 law, the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency has the authority to retract the approval it gave the city for the desalination plant and start construction of its own project. Fox said that if the agency assumes control, it might not show concern for local architecture or noise issues.

“They’re going to look to build the lowest cost (pump) housing they can afford,” Fox said.

But a Fox Canyon official says they have no plans to build the desalter.

Jeff Pratt, executive officer of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, said he’s not aware of any discussions about his agency taking over the desalter project.

“There is no threat of the GMA taking over that project. That belongs to the city. The city planned it, and the GMA has no money for it,” Pratt said.

Lucy McGovern, a deputy director in the city’s public works department, said if Camarillo decides not to move forward with the desalter, then Fox Canyon would have to build it.

“It’s not unfeasible, but the likelihood of it happening is very small,” she said.

Paul Drust, a 57-year-old Camarillo resident, attended the meeting and said he found the presentation and question-and-answer session enlightening.

“I like the fact that it’s forward thinking in dealing with a pretty serious problem,” he said.

A public hearing on the desalination plant will be held during the Dec. 13 City Council meeting to discuss the environmental report, zoning changes and purchase of property. Fox said as long as the desalter continues to make progress, the city should retain control over the project. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board wants the desalinization plant up and running by the end of 2018, but the city is applying for an extension, Fox said.

“Everything is looking as if we’re getting more and more control of our destiny,” he said. “Not complete control, but more control.”