WATER SUPPLY, CONSERVATION AND WATER QUALITY BOND MEASURE
Ventura County’s water supply has survived through decades of drought. Keeping it that way takes work, and right now, three critical pieces of that system need attention. That’s why United Water Conservation District is bringing a bond measure to Ventura County voters on November 3, 2026 to fund United Water’s capital projects, including these three priority projects that can’t wait.
Freeman Diversion Fish Screen
HOW THE BOND WORKS
If approved, the measure would authorize United Water to issue up to $350 million in general obligation bonds, a financing tool that lets a public agency borrow money upfront for capital projects and repay it over 30 years through a dedicated property tax assessment.
United Water has spent years pursuing every available outside funding source, including grants, low-interest federal loans through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), and State Revolving Fund financing. Those sources have funded design and environmental work and will contribute to construction costs. The bond bridges the gap that outside funding cannot cover.
WHAT IT COSTS PROPERTY OWNERS
Repayment would be secured by a property tax based on the assessed value of real property within United Water’s service area. The annual tax rate is estimated at $24 per $100,000 of assessed value, approximately $121 per year, or about $10 per month, for the average homeowner.
Renters incur no direct new tax. All bond funds are legally restricted to voter-approved purposes, and United Water is required to conduct independent annual audits and report publicly on all expenditures.
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
- Bond proceeds may only be used for the capital projects described in the measure, not operations, salaries, or administrative expenses
- Independent annual audits required by law
- Regular public reporting on project progress, budget performance, and schedule
- All bond issuance and spending overseen by the United Water Board of Directors
READ THE BOND REPORT
United Water’s Bond Report, a public document prepared under California Water Code Sections 74800–74804, details the projects, the funding strategy, and the full fiscal analysis behind the measure.
THREE PROJECTS. THREE MANDATES.
Each of the following projects is required by regulatory mandate, a federal court order, or groundwater sustainability law. These are not discretionary investments. They must be completed.
Santa Felicia Dam Safety Improvement Project: $314 Million
Santa Felicia Dam Safety Improvement Project: $314 Million
Santa Felicia Dam anchors the upper Santa Clara River watershed, storing water that flows to farms and communities throughout the county. Roughly 237,000 people live downstream. State and federal regulators, including the California Division of Safety of Dams and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, require seismic upgrades and spillway improvements to meet modern dam safety standards. This work is required, not optional.
- Seismic retrofit of outlet works and intake tower
- Spillway required to increase water flow capacity to 220,000 cubic feet per second
- Protects water supplies (including for wildfire suppression), groundwater recharge, and Lake Piru
Freeman Diversion Improvement Project: $104 Million
Freeman Diversion Improvement Project: $104 Million
The Freeman Diversion is how United Water captures stormwater, imported water and surface water from the Santa Clara River and Lake Piru Reservoir and recharges the groundwater basin beneath it, sustaining both agricultural and municipal water supplies across the region. A federal court order requires fish passage upgrades. The improvements are also expected to increase annual groundwater recharge by 5,000 to 8,000 acre-feet per year, turning a legal requirement into a long-term water supply benefit.- Required by binding federal court judgment
- Improves fish passage and modernizes fish screens
- Expected to increase groundwater recharge by 5,000–8,000 acre-feet
(1.6-2.6 billion gallons) per year
Extraction Barrier & Brackish Water Treatment Project: $51 million
Extraction Barrier & Brackish Water Treatment Project: $51 million
Beneath the Oxnard Plain, seawater is moving inland. Decades of groundwater pumping have allowed saltwater to intrude into freshwater aquifers. This project helps stop the intrusion. It is a cornerstone of the region’s state-mandated Groundwater Sustainability Plan, and directly protects one of the most agriculturally productive areas in the state.- Helps stop seawater intrusion into underground water basins
- Required under the region’s state-mandated Groundwater Sustainability Plan
- Increases groundwater supplies in the Oxnard-Pleasant Valley basins
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
United Water will be holding community meetings across the District in the coming months to walk through the bond measure, the projects it funds, and what it means for property owners. Click here for meeting dates and times. You can also read United Water’s Bond Report — a detailed public document prepared under the California Water Code — available here.
The measure will appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Registered voters within United Water Conservation District’s service area are eligible to vote. Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in Ventura County ahead of Election Day. You can also vote in person at your designated polling location on November 3. To register to vote or check your registration status, visit venturavote.org.
By law, bond proceeds may only be used for the capital projects described in the measure. They cannot be redirected to operations, salaries, or unrelated expenses. All expenditures are subject to independent annual audits, and United Water’s Board of Directors retains full oversight of bond issuance and spending. The District is also committed to regular public reporting on project progress, budget performance, and schedule throughout the life of the bond program.
Under California law, a general obligation bond measure for a special district requires approval by two-thirds (66.67%) of voters casting a ballot on the measure.
Work is already underway on the Freeman Diversion, with conveyance upgrades that began in 2021. Design and permitting for the fish passage improvements are on track for completion in 2026, with in-river construction planned during future dry seasons. Construction on the Extraction Barrier project is anticipated to begin as early as 2027. The Santa Felicia Dam project is in active design and regulatory coordination. All three projects have significant groundwork already completed, so bond proceeds would move United Water directly to construction.
The projects still need to be completed. The regulatory mandates, court orders, and groundwater sustainability obligations don’t go away. Without bond funding, United Water would face a difficult choice: delay critical work and risk enforcement action, court sanctions, and serious consequences across all three projects. For the Santa Felicia Dam, that could mean operational restrictions or decommissioning, eliminating water storage that farms and communities across the region depend on, and permanently closing Lake Piru. For the Freeman Diversion, it means continued legal exposure and the potential loss of future water supply gains the improvements would deliver. For the Extraction Barrier project, delay means continued seawater intrusion that becomes increasingly difficult and expensive to reverse. The alternative to the bond is not the status quo. It is a far greater and more immediate burden on customers and property owners through rate increases, or the permanent loss of critical water supply capacity.
Yes, potentially. The bond authorizes United Water to issue up to $350 million in bonds, but the District is not required to issue the full amount. If additional grants, loans, or appropriations are secured, fewer bonds may need to be issued, which could reduce the total tax burden on property owners. United Water is committed to pursuing every available outside funding source throughout the life of these projects.
Agricultural properties within United Water’s service area would be subject to the same tax rate as other property types, approximately $240 per $1,000,000 of assessed value. At the same time, all three projects directly benefit Ventura County agriculture. Santa Felicia Dam stores water that a great deal of the region’s farming depends on, losing that storage capacity or facing operational restrictions would have serious consequences for irrigation supplies. The Freeman Diversion improvements are expected to increase groundwater recharge by 5,000 to 8,000 acre-feet per year, further supporting agricultural water supplies. And the Extraction Barrier project directly protects the Oxnard Plain from the seawater intrusion that threatens both crop viability and long-term well water quality.
Renters are not subject to any direct new tax from this measure. General obligation bonds are repaid through property taxes levied on property owners of record. Renters will, however, benefit directly from the water supply reliability and groundwater protections these projects deliver.
If the measure is approved, the tax would first appear on property tax bills in fiscal year 2028. It would be collected annually through the Ventura County property tax roll. The same bill property owners already receive each year. The estimated annual rate is approximately $24 per $100,000 of assessed value or $24o per $1 million, which works out to about $121 per year, or roughly $10 per month, for the average homeowner. The tax is expected to remain in place for 30 years, through fiscal year 2057.
The tax applies to all taxable real property within United Water Conservation District’s service area: residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial. The annual amount owed is based on each property’s assessed value.
United Water has spent years pursuing every available outside funding source: grants, low-interest federal loans, and legislative appropriations. Those efforts have produced real results: $31.5 million in secured grants and up to $83 million in low-interest federal financing. But even combined, these sources fall short of what is needed to complete all three projects within the timelines that regulators and the courts require. A general obligation bond represents the most transparent, equitable, and fiscally responsible way to close that gap while protecting Ventura County’s long-term water supply.
Bond funds may only be used for capital projects, specifically the construction, improvement, and related costs of capital projects described in the measure. California law is explicit about what bond proceeds cannot be used for. They may not be spent on employee salaries or benefits, day-to-day operating expenses, routine maintenance, administrative costs, or any purpose not described in the voter-approved measure. Every dollar raised through the bond must go directly toward building capital projects as authorized by voters, nothing else.
A general obligation bond is a way for a public agency to borrow money upfront to pay for capital projects, then repay that money over time through a dedicated property tax assessment. Think of it like a home mortgage. The agency borrows what it needs today and repays it in predictable annual installments. Voters must approve the bond before any funds can be raised or spent.
We are committed to financial transparency, accountability and open communication. Our financial reports are available as part of our Transparency page.
HISTORY
Originally formed as the Santa Clara Water Conservation District in 1927, voters approved the formation of United Water Conservation District in 1950. From the beginning, United has distinguished itself as a leader among water agencies by conserving and enhancing water resources of the Santa Clara River while working to protect the river’s natural features.
Over the years, United has constructed numerous facilities, pipelines, and recharge basins – including the Santa Felicia Dam, Lake Piru Reservoir and Freeman Diversion – to enhance the local water system and maintain sustainable water management.
Today, we continue to serve as the conservator of groundwater resources that are utilized by the cities of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Santa Paula, and Fillmore, as well as Naval Base Ventura County and several mutual water districts, farms and individual pumpers. We also provide surface water for agricultural irrigation and treated drinking water to the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme.
Saticoy Recharge Basin