The video explains the four sources of water used to supply residents of the City with water.
PASO ROBLES, CA - [Date] - The City of Paso Robles has produced a video to help inform residents about the local water supply. The video provides an overview of the City’s water sources and planning efforts and helps answer questions residents may have about having enough water to sustain planned community growth and demand.
“We have noticed a common misconception among residents that the City of Paso Robles does not have enough water to support the new homes and commercial projects that are in the pipeline,” says City Manager Ty Lewis. “The reality is the exact opposite, Paso Robles is actually better prepared for growth and drought than most cities in California due to the foresight of City leadership going back over 30 years.”
The video explains the four sources of water used to supply residents of the City with water: Lake Nacimiento, the Salinas River, the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, and a new Recycled Water System.
City leadership began planning to add water sources to its portfolio as early as 1991. At that point the City relied solely on groundwater and river wells for its water supply. The City later partnered with San Luis Obispo County to plan and construct the Nacimiento Water Project, which would utilize the Nacimiento reservoir as a supplemental water source for the City and other local communities. The Nacimiento Water Project was completed in 2011 and soon after, the City developed additional infrastructure needed to treat and deliver high quality surface water from Lake Nacimiento. The City’s diverse water supply portfolio enables the City to move forward with planned growth and supports economic development in Paso Robles.
Additionally, the City constructed tertiary treatment facilities to improve the quality of effluent from the City’s wastewater treatment plant and to facilitate recycled water use. The City has received over $17 million in grants for the recycled water system and is building the distribution system in phases. Recycled water use will conserve valuable drinking water and groundwater in the City and will help offset groundwater pumping outside of the City.
The new water video can be seen here will be shared on the City’s social media channels and can be viewed at www.prcity.com/water.
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Media contact: Christopher Alakel, 805.237.3861, calakel@prcity.com
Key dates:
1991 – City Council passes a resolution urging the SLO County Board of Supervisors to initiate discussion with Monterey Co. and Nacimiento water officials regarding Nacimiento Reservoir as a supplemental water source.
1992 – City Council passes a resolution committing to participation in the Nacimiento Water Project.
2004 – City Council approves the Nacimiento Water Project entitlement delivery contract
2007-2011 – Nacimiento Pipeline construction
2012 – Water rates adopted that incorporate construction of a new surface water treatment plant
2014 – Construction of water treatment plant begins
2015 – Water treatment plant complete, Nacimiento water delivered to City’s water customers
2019 – City receives a $4 million State grant and completes construction of Tertiary Treatment Facilities to produce high-quality recycled water (and wins the Global Water Awards 2020 Wastewater Project of the Year)
2023 – City receives a $3.5 million State grant and a $9.7 MM Federal grant to build the recycled water distribution system.