WRD and Sanitation Districts sign recycled water purchase agreement

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County have signed a recycled water purchase agreement.

The 30-year agreement is expected to dispense with the requirement of water from northern California and the Colorado River for groundwater recharge.

Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, who was the keynote speaker of the ceremony at the Sanitation Districts’ San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant in Whittier, said both agencies have been at the forefront of the recycled water industry.

"They are an integral component in the water supply and management portfolio for our southern California area, state and our nation," Napolitano added.

For the purpose of groundwater replenishment, WRD has purchased more than 16 billion gallons of recycled water and seven billion gallons of imported water annually in the past.

With the new agreement in place, WRD will offset the imported water component of its water portfolio with treated recycled water.

On the whole, WRD will annually use 23 billion gallons of recycled water, and unused imported water will be conserved and become available for other uses throughout the state subsequently.

WRD board president Rob Katherman said the latest action is the final step in its race towards independence from imported water for the purpose of replenishing the supply of groundwater.

"In a few short years, with the completion of WRD’s Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program (GRIP), we will not be a customer at all," Katherman added.

WRD is the regional groundwater management agency to more than ten percent of California’s population residing in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County.

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Image: Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Photo courtesy of US Congress.