Sanitation Districts, MWD of Southern California partner for recycled water programme

The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California have partnered to develop a regional recycled water programme for restoring Southland groundwater basins.

The programme will help the region cope with droughts, climate change and seismic risks by providing significant local water supply.

A 1-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) demonstration plant will be built as part of the deal with potential for future development.

Metropolitan could build an advanced water treatment plant on Sanitation Districts’ property at the Carson site.

The facility is expected to produce about 150 MGD of purified water using secondary-treated effluent from the Sanitation Districts’ joint water pollution control plant in Carson.

A 30-mile network of new distribution pipelines will be used to distribute the purified water to groundwater basins in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Sanitation Districts chief engineer and general manager Grace Hyde said: "Our treatment plant in Carson is the largest untapped potential source of recycled water in Los Angeles County.

"As a result of this new partnership with the Metropolitan Water District, treated wastewater that is currently being discharged to the ocean may finally be put to good use."

The Sanitation Districts feature 24 independent special districts serving more than 5.5 million people in 78 cities and unincorporated territory within Los Angeles County.