FPUD authorizes State Revolving Fund loan application for Conjunctive Use Project

The Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) has applied for a State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan to construct the Santa Margarita Conjunctive Use Project.

The official FPUD board action January 23 approved a resolution to the State Water Resources Control Board authorizing FPUD general manager Brian Brady to sign a financing agreement and amendments for the SRF loan as well as other financial documents and pledging net water revenues to repayment of the loan.

"The State of California requires that the governing board process resolutions stating their intent to apply for the funds. It doesn't obligate the board to accept the funds, but it is part of the process," Brady said. "The state will continue processing the application and within a few months we should hear back on their acceptance of the grant."

All five FPUD board members voted in favor of the resolution. The loan would be for $45,000,000 and would be repaid over 20 years at an interest rate of approximately 1.6 percent.

The Santa Margarita Conjunctive Use Project being pursued by FPUD, Camp Pendleton, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation would enhance groundwater recharge and recovery capacity within the lower Santa Margarita River basin and develop a program which would increase available water supplies for Camp Pendleton and FPUD. Facilities within the lower basin would be constructed to capture additional surface runoff, which currently flows to the Pacific Ocean, during high stream flow periods. The surface water would be recharged through existing groundwater ponds and stored in groundwater basins during wet years while being "banked" for water rights statistics.

The water would be used to augment supplies during dry years, which would reduce the reliance on imported water. The Conjunctive Use Project would include improvements to the diversion works, increased capacity to the headgate and the O'Neill Ditch, improvements to seven existing recharge ponds, installation of new groundwater production wells and gallery wells, water treatment at either an existing or an expanded or new water treatment plant, and a bidirectional pipeline which could deliver water to FPUD while also providing the Marine Corps base with an off-base water supply should conditions warrant.

The Camp Pendleton infrastructure will include piping to deliver the water to the boundary of the Naval Weapons Station and Fallbrook behind the FPUD solar facility site on Alturas Road. Construction of the facilities from the NWS boundary will be FPUD's responsibility.

The water will be treated at the Alturas Road plant and delivered into FPUD's distribution system.