View File - Development Services - City of Oxnard

3.0 Water Supply and DemandThis section describes the regional water supplies on the Oxnard Plain and local demandsby the City of Oxnard and agriculture. The regional supplies are discussed because theyaffect the overall availability of water resources. The local demands by the City andagriculture are discussed because of their applicability to the need and feasibility ofimplementing the GREAT Program. Lastly, this section also describes the need and rationalefor the water supply elements of the GREAT Program, which are then discussed in detail inSection 4.0.3.1 Regional Water SuppliesWestern Ventura County (“the Oxnard Plain”) supports a broad variety of land uses.Located approximately 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and 35 miles south ofSanta Barbara, the Oxnard Plain is unique in its success in merging tremendously prolificagricultural land uses with a growing oceanside municipal and industrial population center.The sources of water supply on the Oxnard Plain include local surface water, localgroundwater, and imported surface water. More recently, reclaimed wastewater has beenintroduced as an important water supply and will continue to grow as the future waterdemands of the region continue to increase.3.1.1 Water and PurveyorsThe GREAT Program will be operated through the coordinated effort of several regionalwater suppliers in Ventura County. A summary of water purveyors that may participate inthe GREAT Program is provided below. Service areas of water purveyors on the OxnardPlain are shown in Figure 3-1.The City of Oxnard, with a population of approximately 182,000, is the largest purveyor ofdomestic water supply in the Oxnard Plain. The City currently blends groundwaterproduced at its own wells or delivered by the UWCD with imported surface water fromCMWD prior to distribution. UWCD was founded to manage, protect, conserve, andenhance the water resources of the Santa Clara River, its tributaries, and associated aquifersin the most cost-effective and environmentally balanced manner. Its service area includesover 330 square miles of Ventura County and an estimated 300,000 people. CMWD is thelocal wholesaler of State Project Water and has a service area spanning 375 square miles andincludes in excess of 500,000 people.The Port Hueneme Water Agency (PHWA) provides potable water service to the City ofPort Hueneme, the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, the NavalConstruction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, and the Naval Air Weapons Station PointMugu encompassing a population of approximately 55,000. PHWA operates the BrackishWater Reclamation Demonstration Facility (BWRDF) that desalts UWCD deliveredgroundwater. PHWA also has access to imported surface water from CMWD as asupplemental supply.W112003002SCO LW1458.DOC/ 033390002 27