The Water Utilities Department is proud to be the recipient of numerous awards over the years.  Here are few of the recent times the City was recognized for being a leader in the industry.

Pure Water Oceanside & Green Oceanside Kitchen

Excellence in Public Information and Communications - 2020

The City of Oceanside was awarded two EPIC awards (Excellence in Public Information and Communications) and a Best-in-Show award from the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO). The City’s Pure Water Oceanside project was recognized for its communication and marketing plan along with the City’s Green Oceanside Kitchen for its grand opening launch event. The Green Oceanside Kitchen grand opening also took home Best-in-Show, and in the media event, large populations category, beating all other large population entries for the coveted title.

CAPIO’s EPIC awards recognizes the most creative and effective efforts in the areas of communication and marketing campaigns, newsletter production, photography, special events, writing, website development and video production.

Pure Water Oceanside will purify recycled water to create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound. Scheduled to be complete at the end of 2021, Pure Water Oceanside will be the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County.

A state-of-the-art facility, the Green Oceanside Kitchen incorporates food sustainability from production and distribution to consumption and recycling. Supporting Oceanside’s commitment to zero waste, responsible resourcing and climate action management, the goal of the Green Oceanside Kitchen is to divert edible food from the landfill and support feeding the community.

Recycled Water Agency of the Year (Small Systems)

WateReuse Award of Excellence - 2020

The City of Oceanside received an Award of Excellence during the WateReuse virtual conference in June 2020. Oceanside received the Recycled Water Agency of the Year for small systems, which recognizes an agency that has developed recycled water, on a significant level, as an alternative water source within their service area, regionally, or statewide.

The development of water reuse programs addresses a variety of challenges currently faced by the City. Today, Oceanside imports most of its water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and the Colorado River, both of which are hundreds of miles away. In order to gain greater water-independence, Oceanside’s City Council set a goal of a 50% local water supply by 2030. After almost a decade of regional and local planning efforts, the City of Oceanside has developed a comprehensive water reuse program including expanding water recycling and advanced water purification. The planning efforts have taken place since 2010 and have laid the groundwork for the City’s recycled water and potable reuse programs.

The City of Oceanside has 1.2 miles of recycled pipeline that distributed nearly 70 million gallons (236 acre feet) per year. The distribution system currently supplies recycled water to the Oceanside Municipal Golf Course, Goat Hill Golf Course and El Corazon Sport Complex. The City is currently expanding our recycled water system in two phases. Phase 1 will add approximately seven miles of distribution pipelines and approximately 10 miles of additional distribution pipelines will be added for Phase 2. Recycled water customers will include commercial users with significant irrigation demands for landscaping such as golf courses, HOAs, City parks, as well as industrial and agricultural customers.

Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility

Outstanding Membrane Plant Award - 2019 

In recognition of Outstanding Plant Operations & Maintenance and Exemplary Membrane Treatment Plant Performance, the Southwest Membrane Operator Association (SWMOA) recognizes the Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility (MBGPF) as it's Small Plant of the Year award winner for 2019.

The team from MBGPF was recognized at the Annual Symposium held in Riverside, CA in June of 2019, as well as being featured on the SWMOA website's award winners page. Mayor Weiss and the Oceanside City Council formally recognized Chief Plant Operator Ron Lutge at the meeting held on August 7, 2019.  

For being the Southwest Regional award Winner, the plant is up for nomination in the nationwide contest.  National award winners will be announced at the annual American Membrane Technology Association 2020 Conference & Exposition held in Phoenix, AZ the week of March 16, 2020.

San Luis Rey Wastewater Reclamation Facility

Local (SD) Plant of the Year, Medium Size Plants - 2019 

The California Water Environment Association (CWEA) is a not-for-profit public benefit association of 10,000+ water quality professionals who work for public agencies and collection systems, engineering firms and equipment and service suppliers.  The CWEA has chosen the San Luis Rey Wastewater Reclamation Facility as it's 2019 Local San Diego Plant of the Year for Medium Size Plants.  

Local winners are eligible for state honors at the Annual CWEA Conference in Reno the week of March 31, 2020.  

Chief Plant Operator Scott Speigle will be formally recognized by Mayor Weiss and the Oceanside City Council at the upcoming City Council meeting scheduled for May 20, 2020.