OXNARD : Dedication Planned for Treatment Plant

A $59.3-million expansion and upgrading of the Oxnard waste-water treatment plant have enabled the city to remove more pollutants from the treated water it discharges into the Pacific Ocean, city officials said this week.

City officials will dedicate the improved facility at 10 a.m. Friday after seven years of planning and construction, said Cheryl Hamilton, administrative assistant at the plant.

Mark Moise, plant operations manager, said waste water treated at the expanded plant will be 25% to 50% cleaner, depending on the volume treated.

The cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, the Point Mugu Naval Air Station and the Naval Construction Battalion Center all use the plant, located at 6001 Perkins Road.

The expansion, the largest capital improvement project in the city’s history, was completed last month. The plant’s capacity has been increased from 22.6 million gallons of sewage per day to 31.7 million gallons, Hamilton said, and can be further enlarged to process 39.6 million gallons a day as the city continues to grow. Three new buildings, tanks and equipment have been added.

Of the total price tag, 17% went toward upgrading the treatment process, and the balance was used to expand the facility, officials said.

The city initially paid for the work with bonds, but it will make up the cost with sewer connection fees from new construction, Hamilton said.