EPA AWARDS PWD $14 MILLION LOAN TO FUND PURE WATER AV DEMONSTRATION FACILITY
Palmdale, CA – Palmdale Water District (PWD) is pleased to announce that it has received a $14.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance
and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to help pay for the Pure Water Antelope Valley (AV)
Demonstration Facility.
This loan is expected to save PWD about $4 million in interest over a
20-year period compared to traditional financing. The Demonstration
Facility, which will purify recycled water to produce a cost-effective and
more reliable high-quality water supply, will cost $24.5 million.
Groundbreaking took place on June 20, and construction is expected to take
15 months.
“We are grateful to the EPA for awarding this loan for our Pure Water
AV Demonstration Facility,” said PWD General Manager Dennis D.
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LaMoreaux. “It gives us the funds needed to build a project that will enable us to be more
drought-proof, have local control of our water, and improve the groundwater quality and
quantity.”
The master agreement between PWD and EPA calls for a total loan of $145 million to
build the Pure Water AV Demonstration Facility and a full-scale facility, estimated to cost
$281.3 million. Once operational, Pure Water AV will sustain more than 20 full-time jobs over
its 50-year lifespan.
“California is no stranger to drought impacts, and we are seeing a need for communities
to invest in drought-resilient water supply as they prepare for future climate stress,” said Bruno
Pigott, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. “We are thrilled to help the Palmdale
Water District advance their project ensuring a plentiful and resilient water supply through
EPA’s low-cost financing. The Biden-Harris Administration has been prioritizing critical water
infrastructure projects across the country through the investing in America agenda.”
Pure Water AV will have a purification room that will run recycled water through micro-
filtration filters, reverse osmosis filters and ultraviolet light with advanced oxidation. The state-
of-the art procedure will remove more than 99.99% of bacteria, viruses and ions (like salt).
The Demonstration Facility is required by the state before a full-scale project can be
built. When the full-scale facility is operational in mid-2029, it will provide an additional 5,000
acre-feet of water per year by using recycled water and treating it for groundwater augmentation.
The facility will be the first advanced water treatment plant in California to house “Project
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Monarch,” a water management and carbon capture equipment supplied by Capture6 that will
save PWD costs for brine disposal. For more information about Pure Water AV, visit
Since 1918, the Palmdale Water District has provided high-quality water at a reasonable
cost. We pride ourselves on providing great customer care; advocating for local water issues that
help our residents; educating the community on water-use efficiency; and leading our region in
researching and implementing emerging technologies that increase operational efficiency. For
more information about PWD, visit www.palmdalewater.org.
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