$110 million Brackish Water Desalination plant made possible by State and City partnership
Antioch, Calif., – On Friday, the City of Antioch, along with local and State dignitaries, broke ground on their new and historic Brackish Water Desalination Plant.
At a price of $110 million, the project was made possible with $93 million in funding from the State, and $17 million from the City of Antioch.
“Through this project, Antioch continues establishing itself as both a State and regional leader on environmental best practices,” said Lamar Thorpe, Mayor, City of Antioch. “I would like to thank Governor Newsom for California’s investment in making our Brackish Water Desalination Plant a reality. By working together, we exemplify the very best of our State and our City.”
This is a resiliency project that will mitigate the impacts of climate change and accomplish drought reliability improvements. Once completed, Antioch will be firmly positioned to preserve its pre-1914 water rights and provide the City with a reliable source of drinking water for generations.
“Water is the most precious of resources. Climate change is impacting all water supplies on the delta. This is not only important for Antioch but also others who can become part of this project in the future,” said Ron Bernal, City Manager, City of Antioch.
The Antioch Brackish Water Desalination Project will utilize existing infrastructure to the extent possible and construct new desalination facilities and associated infrastructure to improve the City’s water supply reliability and operational flexibility. Once constructed, the desalination facility, located at the existing water treatment plant, will provide for 6 million gallons per day (mgd) of capacity (producing up to 5,500 acre feet per year (ac-ft/yr).
The Antioch Brackish Water Desalination Project consists of the following components:
- New river intake pump station to replace the existing San Joaquin River intake pump station. The pump station will consist of three 8 mgd pumps (16 mgd firm capacity), each with a fish screen that meets the protective criteria of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Service.
- New 3,000 foot pipeline connecting the City’s existing raw water pipeline to the City’s Water Treatment Plant to allow a direct connection and maximize the use of existing infrastructure
- New 6 mgd desalination facility (reverse osmosis, post-treatment systems, chemical feed and storage facilities, brine conveyance facilities, and other associated non-process facilities).
- Approximately 4.3 miles of a new brine disposal pipeline to convey discharge brine the Delta Diablo Wastewater Treatment Plant for disposal into the San Joaquin River through an existing outfall. Discharge of brine water into the San Joaquin River will result in minor local increases in salinities that are within the tolerance range of native species.
For more information: www.antiochca.gov
