VenturaWaterPure Project Rides Wave to EIR Certification

On October 14, 2019, with our assistance, Ventura Water obtained unanimous City Council approval of the VenturaWaterPure Project and certification of the EIR for the project.

The project approval/EIR certification has been more than 10 years in the making.  It represents a major milestone for the City in terms of reducing current discharges of tertiary treated water to the Santa Clara River Estuary.  This change benefits four listed species and their designated critical habitats and diverts that Title 22 treated water to indirect potable reuse.

Only four public commenters attended the City Council meeting - three made comments in support, including the Wishtoyo Fdn, Ventura Coastkeeper and Heal the Bay.  Support of the project by those groups is evidence of the City’s commitment to protecting the environment while providing a drought resistant, local and sustainable water supply for future generations.  Project support from these environmental groups stands in stark contrast to the not too distant past, when these groups sued the City of Ventura under the federal Clean Water Act and Porter Cologne, claiming, among other things, that the discharge of tertiary treated flow to the estuary violated the Clean Water Act.

With the certified EIR in hand, Ventura Water will proceed with permitting under CESA, ESA, the CWA, Porter Cologne, and the Coastal Act to implement discharge reductions and diversions of those tertiary treated flows to purification and indirect potable reuse.