Camarillo’s water future is at risk, and it’s important that our residents and state leaders understand what’s at stake.
A group of powerful interests called the “OPV Coalition” has sued all groundwater users in the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley basins, including Camarillo, to determine groundwater availability and rights. This coalition, which includes the city of Oxnard, United Water Conservation District, Pleasant Valley County Water District, Marathon Land and other large agricultural landowners, is trying to cut our city’s long-standing share of groundwater — a move that threatens higher water costs and jeopardizes full operation of the city’s North Pleasant Valley Desalter, a $70 million project that removes salts from groundwater to meet environmental mandates while providing clean drinking water.
Like our neighbors in Oxnard, Camarillo has long relied on groundwater. Over time, however, salty inflows from upstream wastewater treatment plants degraded groundwater quality in the Pleasant Valley basin, requiring the city to build the desalter to clean up that water and comply with state and federal water quality mandates. The city’s investment turns unusable brackish groundwater into high-quality drinking water, strengthening local water reliability and reducing our dependence on costly imported water. Before the desalter, the majority of our water supply was imported from Northern California through the State Water Project, but now, the desalter significantly reduces our dependence on imported water, flipping the majority of our water supply to local groundwater.
To build the desalter, Camarillo secured nearly half the funding from state and federal sources, with ratepayers covering the rest. When the desalter began producing much of our water supply in 2023, it helped safeguard Camarillo from future cost increases while also improving groundwater quality.
Despite these efforts, some of the same interests that benefit from Camarillo’s groundwater clean-up are undercutting the supplies needed to fully operate the desalter while tying us up in litigation that is now entering its fifth year. In October, during Phase 1 of the case, the court adopted the coalition’s proposed “settlement,” setting a low total available groundwater supply for the region that threatens groundwater quality and long-term reliability. The ruling did not consider key evidence, relied on outdated water modeling, and ignored state regulations to remove salts from groundwater.
Recently, the city filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate with the Court of Appeal seeking review of the ruling to correct errors in the decision before Camarillo must make long-term water decisions based on a flawed record. Timely court action is critical because similar groundwater cases in California can take 10 years or more before final judgment is reached. Left uncorrected, the ruling will shape the remaining two phases of this case and likely lead to years of costly litigation. The case’s next phase will determine water rights.
If the OPV Coalition prevails, Camarillo’s families and businesses could face higher water rates as we’re forced back to relying on imported water, when it’s even available. Detrimental levels of salt would remain in our groundwater, and tens of millions in ratepayer and taxpayer dollars would be at risk. The coalition’s lawsuit is a misguided attempt to use the courts against Camarillo, disregarding environmental concerns and state policy calling for improved water quality and reduced water imports.
Our fight transcends Camarillo. It’s about whether state policy will protect communities that invest in projects to improve the environment and water reliability or allow well-resourced interests to use litigation to tip the scales in their favor. As the case advances, please stay informed by visiting Camarillo’s “Protect Our Water” webpage at cityofcamarillo.org/protectourwater. Your support is essential to securing Camarillo’s water future.
David Tennessen is the Mayor of Camarillo
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: We must defend Camarillo’s water future | Your Turn
Reporting by David Tennessen, Your Turn / Ventura County Star
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