California Water Recycling Facility Receives Partnership Award for Innovation

The Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility in Santa Paula, Calif., has been awarded the 2011 Public-Private Partnership Award for Innovation from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships. This honor recognizes projects developed through a public agency and private company partnership that demonstrated a significant new advancement in the field.

The Santa Paula Facility has been recognized for its innovative approach to water recycling by numerous organizations including the Design-Build Institute of America, Global Water Intelligence and the Environmental Business Journal.

As a result of the public-private partnership, the city of Santa Paula transferred the financing, design, construction and operating risk to a private entity for 30 years. The facility was 100% privately funded and required no upfront capital. Socio-economic benefits included almost 90% of the hours worked were from local labor and more than $4.5 million was invested in the local economy excluding sales tax revenue. It began full operation seven months ahead of the deadline and has exceeded the compliance requirements by the state.

Utilizing public-private partnerships to develop water and wastewater infrastructure is a paradigm shift from traditional methods. In today’s difficult economic markets, it is imperative municipalities explore new alternative delivery methods.

PERC Water invested months in public outreach with the city staff and Santa Paula community members discussing the advantages of partnering with a single, united team that is invested in and responsible for not only the short- and long-term success of the project, but for the future recycled water reuse within the local area.
 

Source: PERC Water