CITY OF OCEANSIDE CELEBRATES WATER AWARENESS MONTH WITH ITS NEW VIRTUAL REALITY WATER VIDEO

Video provides a 360-degree look at Oceanside’s Water Reclamation Facility in anticipation of opening the first advanced purified water project in San Diego County

Oceanside, CA– To celebrate “Water Awareness Month” this May and highlight the value of water, the City of Oceanside is unveiling its new virtual reality video tour. The 360-degree video shows the water recycling process that prepares water for Pure Water Oceanside, an advanced water purification project that will create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound.

Residents, business owners and other stakeholders can experience an immersive tour of the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, where water for Pure Water Oceanside will be sourced. The virtual 360-degree video allows audiences to engage and look all around by simply using a computer mouse or touch screen or moving their phones in order to see all around. Viewers who have a virtual headset for cell phones can take it one step further by “stepping into” the video much like a simulation. In June, the City will begin scheduling opportunities for schools and scouts to view the video using city-provided virtual reality goggles.

“As we enter into another dry summer, Water Awareness Month provides a reason to reflect on how valuable Oceanside’s investments in water supply reliability and water use efficiency are,” said Cari Dale, Water Utilities Director, City of Oceanside. “The 360-degree video is an educational video resource for the community to have a better understanding of the City’s efforts to create local sources of water including recycled and advanced purified water, which will provide up to 50% of the City’s water supply. Pure Water Oceanside and recycled water expansion projects are examples of how the City works efficiently to provide safe, local and sustainable water resources while keeping water rates among the lowest in the county for our residents and businesses,” continued Dale.

The combination of Pure Water Oceanside with the City’s recycled water expansion project exemplifies the value the City of Oceanside places on water. The project will safeguard against drought, provide a local and sustainable source of water, and reduce the city’s dependence on increasingly expensive imported water from the Sacramento Bay Delta and the Colorado River.

Scheduled to be complete in 2022, Pure Water Oceanside will be the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County. The $71 million project will use advanced technology to replicate and accelerate the natural recycling process to provide 3 to 5 million gallons per day to the City of Oceanside.                                                                                          

The public can watch the 360-degree virtual reality tour and learn more about the project by visiting the City’s website: www.PureWaterOceanside.org.

About the City of Oceanside: The City of Oceanside is located in northern San Diego County with a population of approximately 170,000. Oceanside’s vibrant coastal community includes MiraCosta Community College, Camp Pendleton and the world-renowned 1,601-foot fishing pier and 1,000-slip public marina. Oceanside is located 83 miles south of the city of Los Angeles and just 35 miles north of the City of San Diego. The City of Oceanside offers outstanding public amenities such as 30 city parks, four community recreation centers, two municipal swim centers, two senior centers, two city-owned golf courses and 3.5 miles of public beaches. More than 6,000 businesses operate within the City of Oceanside, including Genentech Pharmaceuticals, TE Connectivity, Hydranautics, Nitto Denko, Gilead Sciences, Hobie Cat and Tri-City Medical Center, as well as emerging craft and entrepreneurial ventures.

For more information, visit www.ci.oceanside.ca.us.