Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility Receives Prestigious 2011 Public-Private Partnership Award For Innovation
The Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility has been awarded the 2011 Public-Private Partnership Award for Innovation from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships. This honor recognizes projects developed through a public agency and private company partnership that demonstrated a significant new advancement in the field of public-private partnerships. The Award will be presented at a special Reception and Awards Banquet in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, October 4th.
The Santa Paula Facility has been recognized for its innovative approach to water recycling by numerous organizations including the Design-Build Institute of America, Global Water Intelligence and the Environmental Business Journal.
"We are proud the facility is continuing to be honored for its fiscally responsible approach to a vital infrastructure problem," said Santa Paula's Vice Mayor Bob Gonzales. "The cost of doing business was significant for our City. We had to build a new wastewater treatment facility and we did not have the necessary funds. The public-private partnership gave the City a lot more latitude and the risk was transferred to the company who was doing the work."
As a result of the public-private partnership, the City of Santa Paula transferred the financing, design, construction, and operating risk to a private entity for 30 years. The facility was 100% privately funded and required no upfront capital outlay by City. Socio-economic benefits included almost 90% of the hours worked were from local labor and more than $4.5M was invested in the local economy excluding sales tax revenue. It began full operation seven months ahead of the deadline and has exceeded the compliance requirements by the state.
Utilizing public-private partnerships to develop water and wastewater infrastructure is a paradigm shift from traditional methods. In today's difficult economic markets, it is imperative municipalities explore new alternative delivery methods. PERC Water invested months in public outreach with the City staff and Santa Paula community members discussing the advantages of partnering with a single, united team that is invested in and responsible for not only the short and long-term success of the project but for the future recycled water reuse within the local area.
The Santa Paula Facility was designed, built and is currently being operated by PERC Water. They, in partnership with Alinda Capital, financed the project and it is the first of its type under California Code 5956, which encourages public-private partnership by using private investment to solve public infrastructure needs. It is the first 100% privately funded water recycling facility in the US. The facility has been in operation since May 2010.
For more information, visit http://percwater.com/userfiles/file/PERC%20Water_2011%20Public-Private%20Partnership%20Award%20for%20Innovation_08-17-11.pdf
About PERC Water Corporation
PERC Water Corporation is a water infrastructure company that develops and operates water concession projects. PERC Water has designed approximately 60 water infrastructure projects – 20 of which they have constructed and placed into operation. They provide innovative, efficient solutions to water infrastructure needs, utilizing public-private and private-private partnerships to develop mission-critical infrastructure. The company's project portfolio demonstrates how water infrastructure can be developed efficiently and aesthetically to produce reliable, safe water of the highest quality. PERC Water is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California and has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and Phoenix. For more information, visit www.percwater.com.
SOURCE: PERC Water Corporation