VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Public Works Agency’s (VCPWA) Water and Sanitation Department has received two new honors for recent projects.
On Thursday, Feb. 25, the Santa Barbara/Ventura Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will honor the Water and Sanitation Department’s Ventura County Waterworks District No. 19 Infrastructure Replacement and Improvements Project as 2016 Project of the Year for Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The award will be formally presented during the National Engineer’s Week Banquet at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
VCPWA’s award-winning project replaced existing water pipelines that were more than 50 years old with 10,000-feet of new water lines. To provide adequate and reliable water supply, the project expanded the pumping capacity of the Sand Canyon Booster Pump Station and added an additional Calleguas Municipal Water District turnout at the intersection of Balcom Canyon Road and Highway 118 in Somis. Also, a new blending station at Well 4 was constructed to facilitate the blending of the local well water with the imported State Project water, which improved the water quality and reduced the salt level for customers.
Earlier this year, the Water and Sanitation Department received a certificate of recognition from the Ventura County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) for its role in the creation and implementation of Ventura County Waterworks District 38 (WWD 38). Last year, the formation of WWD 38 was approved by voters to provide water service in the historic Lake Sherwood community. The same project also received the Project of the Year award from the California LAFCo. LAFCos implement state law requirements and state and local policies relating to boundary changes for cities and most special districts, including spheres of influence, incorporations, annexations, reorganizations and other changes of organization.
“VCPWA’s Water and Sanitation Department is humbled to receive these honors which recognize our work on long-standing projects that have improved the quality of life for local residents for generations to come,” said David Sasek, Director of the Water and Sanitation Department. “I’d like to thank our outstanding team of engineering and operations staff who have invested countless hours in the accomplishment of these endeavors.”