Ventura County Public Works Agency joins national Imagine a Day Without Water awareness campaign

MOORPARK, Calif. - Sept. 30, 2015 - PRLog -- From Oct. 6-8, the Ventura County Public Works Agency’s Department of Water and Sanitation will join the national campaign Imagine a Day Without Water to spread awareness about the precious resource and the challenges facing water and wastewater systems, and the need for improvements. VCPWA will be participating through an educational social media campaign and open house tours of its Water and Sanitation Facilities in Moorpark. Fifth graders from Pinecrest Elementary will also have an exclusive opportunity to explore the Moorpark Wastewater Treatment Plant to learn how the District provides high-quality water and sewer services in an efficient, cost-effective manner, and in an environmentally sustainable way.

Natural resource management and other conveniences our community receives from the Agency has supported people’s lives for generations. Every day people turn on their tap and have access to clean, safe, reliable and affordable water without a second thought, not taking into consideration the amount of work it takes to maintain this massive infrastructure which brings millions of gallons per month to homes, schools and businesses within the water districts it serves.

“The average American uses 176 gallons of clean water each day without even thinking about it,” explains Water and Sanitation Director David Sasek.  “Imagine a Day Without Water is an important day to inform our community about the importance of conserving and investing in the essential infrastructure and resource strategies to ensure a safe, clean, lasting water supply for generations to come.”

Projects developed and managed by VCPWA Water and Sanitation Department in Moorpark are setting a microcosm model for what the rest of the state could be doing to improve their water resources and secure their water supply. The Department has invested in innovative technologies, such as the installation of solar panels at the Moorpark Wastewater Treatment Plant, to provide most of its electricity needs, recycled water projects for irrigation use, a new LEED Gold  office and Laboratory building under construction,  and the Moorpark Desalination Plant currently in the planning and design phase.  When complete, the Desalination plant is expected to provide nearly half the water used within Ventura County Water Works District One, which serves the City of Moorpark and residents in the surrounding unincorporated county area.

Susan Pan, P.E., Manager of the Planning, Design and Construction explains, “The groundwater basin in the Moorpark area is currently full, but most of the groundwater is too salty to use without treatment. The Moorpark Desalination Plant will pump the groundwater and treat it through a membrane reverse osmosis process to remove the salt and produce high quality potable water for domestic and agricultural uses. The pumping of groundwater and removal of salt will also help increase groundwater recharge by higher quality storm water and improve groundwater quality.” This is just one of the revolutionary projects to help increase local water supplies, reduce reliance on imported water and improve groundwater quality.

In recognition of Imagine a Day Without Water, the Water and Sanitation Department is raising awareness about the challenges and current state of our water infrastructure and resources through the power of social media and informational tours. Media is also invited to come out and take a private tour of the facility.

For more water conservation information, visit www.slowyourh2o.org.

Media Opportunity:

Who: Ventura County Public Works Agency Department of Water and Sanitation

What: In recognition of Imagine a Day Without Water, VCPWA’s Water and Sanitation Department will host fifth  graders from Pinecrest Elementary for an exclusive opportunity to explore the Moorpark Wastewater Treatment Plant and learn how the District provides high-quality water and sewer services in an efficient, cost-effective manner, and in an environmentally sustainable way. The media is also invited to come out and take a tour of the facility.

When:  Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9 a.m.

Where:  Moorpark Water Reclamation Facility

9550 East Los Angeles Avenue, Moorpark