Santa Margarita: USDA to offer grant, loans for water upgrades

Santa Margarita residents could pay more for water services if projects for a storage tank and pipes are OK’d

By Stephen Curran

Santa Margarita could receive up to $3 million in federal funds for water infrastructure improvements, U. S. Department of Agriculture representatives are set to announce today.

The department’s Rural Development arm has committed a $1 million grant and $2 million in low-interest loans to pay for a new water storage tank, pipelines and fire hydrants.

State Rural Development Director Ben Higgins said the upgrades would help the North County community keep pace with needs for fire protection, water storage and drought preparedness. He and other officials are set to announce the awards at a news conference this morning.

Voters will decide later this year whether to approve the infrastructure improvements, which would mean higher water rates for residents and also would require the community to tap into state water, Higgins said.

Repaying the loan would add $15 to the average Santa Margarita water bill of $35, and the state water infrastructure would add $4.

Tapping into state water would give the community another source of drinking water in the event of a severe drought, he said.

“The need for the project is real,” Higgins said. “The infrastructure today doesn’t meet current demand and would be wholly inadequate in the event of a fire.”

County public works officials applied for the grant late last year, saying existing infrastructure left many of the rural parcels vulnerable to wildfires.

In a statement, Public Works Director Paavo Ogren said the awards would help local government make the needed improvements.

“These projects are identified in the community’s Water Master Plan as priority projects, and with USDA Rural Development offering favorable financing terms and a very large grant, it makes sense to implement these projects,” he said.

If approved by voters, the funds would be used to build a 487,750-gallon storage tank, replace water and fire flow pipelines, install 22 fire hydrants and connect Santa Margarita’s water system to a state pipeline.

The agency has allocated more than $50 million for improved water service geared toward rural communities, representatives said.