The City of San Diego recently accepted a loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The money will help fund the first phase of the Pure Water project.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer accepted the loan from Andrew Wheeler, the Acting Administrator of the EPA. The loan comes as a result of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which Congress passed in 2014. Over the last two years, the EPA has loaned over $1.5 million to help fund five projects. San Diego received $614m.
By 2035, one-third of the drinking water used by San Diego residents will come through the Pure Water Program. The city plans groundbreaking for the first phase of the project in 2019. Part of the first phase includes upgrading existing water facilities and building new ones, including the North City Pure Water Facility, which will be near Eastgate Mall.
During phases two and three, new pipelines and water facilities will be created in South Bay and central San Diego. Officials working on projects like this have an opportunity to use graphic design to help create materials to explain the project.
Mayor Faulconer said receiving funds from the EPA shows the agency believes San Diego’s Pure Water Program is an sound investment in the future of San Diego and its reliance on water. He believes the water project will be one of the most significant infrastructure efforts the city has ever undertaken.
