January 11, 2021

Water District Announces Expanded 5 Megawatt Solar Power is Now Online

The Las Virgenes and Triumfo Water Districts' Joint Powers Authority (the JPA) announced that its new 5-megawatt solar power generation facility is now online following a recent expansion.

The solar farm, located adjacent to the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) headquarters, was initially designed to generate peak power of approximately one-megawatt, which is used to pump recycled water for regional use. The recent expansion to 5-megawatts will provide long-term cost savings and reduce the need to purchase more expensive electricity from traditional means. 




“Reducing our carbon footprint is one of our key strategic objectives,” commented John Zhao, director of facilities and operations at LVMWD. “This solar expansion will provide enough electricity to power all operational needs for the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility annually, while at the same time significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by the solar expansion is estimated to be the equivalent to removing 1,200 cars from the road or planting 6,600 trees.

“Perhaps the most significant aspect of this project – this is a sustainable investment which allows for both environmental integrity and continued human progression,” said LVMWD Board President Jay Lewitt. “The advantages of this upgrade are plenty, and saving customers $10 million over a 25-year period is definitely significant.”

This project continues LVMWD’s push towards more sustainable operations, which includes the recent air process improvements at Tapia.

The Las Virgenes - Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (JPA) was established between Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Triunfo Water & Sanitation District to treat wastewater within the Malibu Creek watershed. The JPA owns and operates the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility and the Rancho Las Virgenes Composting Facility.