CWA authorizes Prop. 50 grant application for Camp Pendleton desal testing

The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) has applied for a Proposition 50 grant for a pilot testing program for the proposed Camp Pendleton seawater desalination plant.

A Jan. 23 SDCWA board vote authorized CWA general manager Maureen Stapleton to sign and submit an application for up to $1,000,000 for the pilot plant testing program.

Proposition 50 was approved by the state’s voters in November 2002 and authorized the spending of $3.4 billion for projects involving fresh water and coastal resources including $50 million of grant funds to develop brackish and seawater desalination projects which have the goal of helping local public agencies develop new local water supplies.

During the first round of funding in 2005, the CWA was awarded $250,000 to help prepare a feasibility study for the Camp Pendleton desalination plant. The feasibility study presented to the CWA in May 2009 found the project feasible while also determining the need for technical studies to provide additional details on treatment processes, possible plant configurations, and project costs.

Both the feasibility study and the technical studies, which were recently completed, identified pilot testing as a necessary step in the planning and feasibility phase to evaluate, optimize, and demonstrate the efficiency of the treatment processes and intake systems which were assessed and evaluated in the previous studies.

“This is more enabling and decisions will come later,” Stapleton said. “We just want to get our foot in the door.”

The Camp Pendleton desalination project would be developed in 50 million gallons per day (mgd) increments and would have a production capacity of between 50 and 150 mgd with a conveyance capacity of 77 to 232 cubic feet per second. At its ultimate 150 mgd capacity the project has a construction cost estimate of $2.32 to $2.90 billion with conveyance costs of $350 to 360 million and annual operation and maintenance costs of $174 to $200 million.

OnNov. 27,the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) released a proposal solicitation package for the $8.7 million available during the third round of funding. Eligible categories include construction projects, pilot or demonstration projects, environmental compliance documentation, research projects, and brackish water feasibility studies.

The maximum funding amounts are $3 million for construction projects, $1 million for pilot or demonstration projects, $500,000 for research projects, and $250,000 for environmental documentation or feasibility studies. The CWA would be required to provide at least a 50 percent match, and grant funds must be spent within two years of the agreement execution. DWR is expected to award the grants during summer 2014.

If the CWA receives the grant, CWA staff will return to the board to request approval to begin the pilot testing program and to amend the CWA’s Capital Improvement Program to reflect the expected full cost of the pilot testing program. The preliminary estimate for a comprehensive 12-month pilot testing program is $4-6 million depending on pilot plant configurations and the number of treatment options considered during the testing program.