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For Immediate Release
November 1, 2011
Contact: Shana Epstein, 805-652-4518
Nancy Broschart, 805-223-4378
Mati Waiya, Wishtoyo Foundation/Ventura Coastkeeper, 805-794-1248
Jason Weiner, Staff Attorney Wishtoyo/Ventura Coastkeeper, 805-823-3301
Christopher Sproul, Attorney Wishtoyo/Ventura Coastkeeper, 415-533-3376
Matthew King, Heal the Bay, 310-451-1500

Ventura Community Invited To Attend Santa Clara River Estuary Settlement Town Hall Meeting on November 10

Ventura residents are invited to learn about a recent settlement to protect the Santa Clara River Estuary ecosystem and enhance Ventura’s local water supply by attending a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, November 10 at 6 pm in the Community Meeting Room at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street.

A brief video presentation will be followed by information about the settlement goals, timeline and potential costs from representatives of Ventura Water and public interest groups Heal the Bay and Wishtoyo Foundation’s Ventura Coastkeeper Program. The key issue of the agreement is to divert, by 2025, between 50-100 percent of the highly treated water generated by the Ventura’s sole wastewater facility. Most of this water is currently released into the Estuary and from there into the Pacific Ocean instead of being used on landscaping or recharging the groundwater supply or other uses.

As outlined by the settlement, a collaborative stakeholder process, relying on the best available science, will determine how 5-10 million gallons produced everyday by the facility will be reused in the future. In addition, the remaining amount of water released into the River will be piped to a yet-to-be-built treatment wetlands to improve water quality and provide more environmental protection.

The settlement’s cost is capped at $55 million to build the necessary infrastructure. Initial estimates project that this effort may cost Ventura Water customers $3.50 per month per average household until 2055. However, this cost may be offset in the future by selling this reclaimed water, as available water sources become more valuable. Funding options will be evaluated by Ventura Water’s Cost of Service and Rate Design Study, which is currently underway with the help of a nine-member volunteer citizen committee.

The Ventura City Council will vote to ratify the final settlement on December 12, following an extensive public outreach effort, which includes this important meeting. Members of the community are encouraged to participate in the process and attend this meeting to learn more about how this settlement will benefit Ventura’s water future. For more information, visit www.cityofventura.net/rivers and to learn more about the work of the Cost of Service and Rate Design Advisory Committee, visit www.cityofventura.net/resources.

This press release is available on the City of Ventura's website. --#####--

About

Ventura Water, a City of Ventura organization, provides integrated water, wastewater and stormwater services to 109,000+ customers with 32,000 service connections. Ventura’s drinking water sources are all local and its reclamation facility treats more than nine million gallons from homes and businesses daily.

Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. The volunteer-driven organization uses research, education, community action and advocacy to pursue its mission.

The Wishtoyo Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public interest organization with over 700 members consisting of Ventura County’s diverse residents and Chumash Native Americans. Wishtoyo’s mission is to preserve and protect Chumash culture, the culture of Ventura County’s diverse communities, and the environment that our current and future generations depend upon. Ventura Coastkeeper, a program of the Wishtoyo Foundation is dedicated to protecting the ecological integrity and water quality of Ventura County's inland and coastal waterbodies.