Vandenberg Dunes
As the rendering above shows, the vastness of Vandenberg Space Force Base with its natural beauty and open vistas of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean would have offered an extraordinary recreational opportunity at Vandenberg Dunes. The Master Plan created by the Larkin Group proposed to build a number of courses in the magnificent sand dunes, along with lodging and dining facilities. These spectacular courses were to be open to the public and offer greatly reduced rates to military personnel, with special accommodation for disabled veterans. The project was to be sited near the now-closed Marshallia Ranch Golf Course. The Larkin Group led the permitting process for Vandenberg Dunes over seven years, working with military, environmental, and community entities. Vandenberg Space Force Base–the high-tech base where missiles that protect the United States are built and cutting-edge rockets are launched–would have provided a fascinating home for this spectacular golf project.
However, after a multi-year effort, the Air Force has terminated negotiations to enter into a long-term lease for the land on which to build these standout courses because of a lack of groundwater. With the exponential growth of the commercial space industry at Vandenberg, the Air Force had to ensure its mission needs were met. The Larkin Group repeatedly strategized possible water solutions that would align with our sustainable solutions model of low water usage and protection of the land. Ultimately, after exploring the possibility of using desalination or reclaimed wastewater from the base to irrigate the courses, we focused on proving the viability of using treated water brought up during the production of oil, known as “produced water”.
The Larkin Group is currently involved with testing best practices to clean this water with BrightWater HDC, an engineering group from Stanford University. We are using produced water provided by Sentinel Peak Resources, an oil company located on Vandenberg SFB. Our challenge is to take the dirty, produced water that is left when oil is brought up out of the ground and clean it to high-quality standards that would meet regulations and be benign to species and habitat. Ultimately the goal would be to bring the water to drinking water standards, providing an exciting possibility for areas of drought.
