State grants could help PWD projects
Board approves application to gain additional funding
PALMDALE — The Palmdale Water District could see financial help for several pending projects, should all or part of its application for $42 million in state grants be awarded.
The Board of Directors, on Monday, unanimously approved the application for the grant under the state’s 2022 Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program.
The funding would go toward the following District projects: drilling and equipping two new wells, the Pure Water AV demonstration and learning facility, a recycled water line on Avenue Q to supply water to the Pure Water AV facility for advanced treatment and the District’s turf reduction program, which pays for customers to remove water-hungry turf.
The Pure Water AV facility will be the first step in a system for turning recycled water into groundwater and augmenting the Valley’s potable water for use. Located at the District’s offices on Avenue Q , it will be used to demonstrate the treatment process to validate it for regulators before moving on to the full-scale treatment plant. The facility will also be an educational center to acquaint customers with the process.
This facility is one of the largest projects in the application, for which the District seeks $11.25 million in grant funding.
The Avenue Q recycled water line, for which the District is seeking $1.03 million, already has partial funding through a $587,000 state grant, Engineering Manager Scott Rogers said.
The largest project on the list has been the subject of other grant applications: covering the Palmdale Ditch — the open trench that carries water from Littlerock Dam to Lake Palmdale. For that project, with a total cost of $22 million, the District is requesting $16.95 million.
The state requires a 25% match from the District to accompany the grant funds in supporting the projects. For all the projects listed, the District would be required to provide $14.2 million, which is already part of the District’s budgeting from the 2019 rate study, Rogers said.
Overall, the projects listed are estimated to save the District 11,598 acre-feet of water annually, “which would be substantial,” Rogers said.
An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.
To be eligible for grant funding, projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026. The projects in the District’s application all may be completed by March 2026, according to the staff report.