LAKE CASITAS : Firm Gets Contract for Pipeline Study

Casitas Municipal Water District, the main agency responsible for bringing state water to northern Ventura County, awarded a $275,000 contract Wednesday to Boyle Engineering Corp. to study pipeline routes.

The Ventura firm has agreed to complete the joint engineering and environmental study by next October.

It will help officials decide whether to begin construction of a 42-mile system to import State Water Project water from the California Aqueduct.

The city of Ventura, which gave approval for the study Monday, will pay two-thirds of its cost unless other cities and water agencies join the effort.

Fillmore and Santa Paula, Santa Paula Water Works Ltd. and Warring Water Service Inc. of Piru have indicated interest, but Casitas officials decided not to delay the contract.

They said the study will help voters decide next November whether to approve a proposed bond initiative to finance the construction project. Construction estimates range from $80 million to $110 million depending on the route and the method of water treatment. “We’ve waited 25 years for this,” said Casitas board member Marion Walker.

Six possible routes are outlined to import 15,000 acre-feet of water. They include piping treated water from Castaic Lake to Ventura or the Upper Ojai Valley, or letting untreated water flow down Piru Creek and the Santa Clara River. An acre-foot of water serves a family of five for one year.

The study will also consider options to importing state water such as enlarging the Matilija reservoir near Ojai, damming Sespe Creek, removing salt from seawater, using reclaimed waste water, using tankers to ship fresh water from Canada and towing icebergs or plastic tubes of ice from the Arctic.