SCWD Receives $11.7M

Doheny Ocean Desalination Project Awarded $11.7M in 2021 Federal Funding Bill

South Coast Water District’s Doheny Ocean Desalination Project has achieved a major funding milestone with the passage of the 2021 federal spending bill. With its passage, Congress has appropriated roughly $17.6M for local water projects including $11.7M for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Dana Point, California.

“Congress has recognized the important need that our region and District has for a reliable, diverse water supply for our future,” said Rick Shintaku, District General Manager. “This investment in the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project means we can continue making strides in achieving a reliable drinking water supply that would significantly assist the region during dry years and emergency water outages.”

The Doheny Ocean Desalination Project goals include creating a drought-proof, reliable and high-quality drinking water supply; further diversifying the District’s water supply portfolio to reduce dependence on imported water; and providing emergency backup water supplies should current supplies be disrupted. The funding received through this bill helps us move the needle closer to achieving these goals.

“The District is grateful to our champions in Congress and would like to thank Congressman Mike Levin for his support in garnering this funding for the project,” said Shintaku. “With this support, we are on track to achieving a clean, disaster-resilient source of water for south Orange County.”

The Doheny Ocean Desalination Project would provide up to 5 million gallons per day of clean, drinkable water for the South Coast Water District service area. Currently, South Coast Water District relies on imported water for 85 to 100% of its drinking water supply, causing vulnerability during droughts, water supply shortages and natural disasters. The proposed project includes a subsurface water intake system that eliminates impacts to marine life, an ocean water conveyance pipeline, a desalination facility, a regulatory-preferred comingled wastewater brine disposal system 2 miles offshore, and a drinking water storage tank and pumping system.