Header link June 22, 2020

LinkedIn

  • Read more
Header link September 15, 2014

Cart

  • Read more
Header link November 3, 2015

Donate Now

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Twitter

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Facebook

  • Read more
Instagram
Header link May 15, 2014

Instagram

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
More options
Water Education Foundation
Home
Water Education Foundation
Everything about California water that matters
  • Water Academy
    • Agriculture
      • Agricultural Conservation
      • Agricultural Drainage
    • Background Information
      • Legislation — California and Federal
      • Regulations — California and Federal
      • Water History
      • Water Rights
    • Bay-Delta
      • Bay Delta
      • Bay Delta Conservation Plan
      • Delta Issues
      • Delta Smelt
      • Sacramento San Joaquin Delta
      • San Francisco Bay
      • Suisun Marsh
    • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
      • California Aqueduct
      • Central Valley Project
      • Folsom Dam
      • Friant Dam
      • Hetch Hetchy
      • Hoover Dam
      • Infrastructure
      • Lake Mead
      • Lake Powell
      • Oroville Dam
      • San Luis Dam
      • Shasta Dam
      • State Water Project
    • Environmental Issues
      • Anadromous Fish Restoration
      • Ecosystem
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Invasive species
      • Lake Tahoe
      • Mono Lake
      • Public Trust Doctrine
      • Salmon
      • San Joaquin River Restoration
      • Watershed
      • Wetlands
    • Leaders and Experts
    • Regions
      • Central Coast
      • Central Valley
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • Pyramid Lake
      • Sacramento Valley
      • Salton Sea
      • San Joaquin Valley
      • Sierra Nevada
      • Southern California
      • Tulare Lake Basin
    • Rivers
      • Carson River
      • Colorado River
      • Klamath River
      • New River
      • North Coast Rivers
      • Russian River
      • Sacramento River
      • Truckee River
      • San Joaquin River
    • Water Issues
      • Climate Change
      • Coronavirus
      • Drought
      • Earthquakes
      • Energy and Water
      • Flood Management
      • Fracking
      • Growth
      • Hydropower
      • Levees
      • Tribal Water Issues
      • Water Conservation
      • Water Equity
    • Water Quality
      • Drinking Water
      • Nitrate contamination
      • Pollution
      • Stormwater
      • Wastewater
      • Water Quality
    • Water Supply and Management
      • Acre Foot
      • Aquifers
      • California Water Plan
      • Conjunctive Use
      • Desalination
      • Gray water
      • Groundwater
      • Integrated Regional Water Management
      • Recreation
      • Surface Water
      • Water Marketing and Banking
      • Water Rates
      • Water Recycling
      • Water Supply
      • Water Transfers
  • Tours & Events
    • Water Tours
      • 2020 Tour Sponsors
    • Conferences
    • Event Calendar
    • Past Tours & Events
      • Anne J. Schneider Fund Lecture Series
  • Specialized Programs
    • Water Leaders
      • Class Rosters
      • Yearly Class Reports
      • Your Alumni Network
      • Alumni Profiles
    • Project WET
      • Workshops
      • Special Workshops & Events
      • Supplementary Materials
      • California Content Standard Correlations
      • Facilitator's Trainings
      • Foundation School Programs
        • Elementary Programs
        • Secondary Programs
      • Water Kids
      • California Project WET Gazette
      • Gazette Archives
    • Colorado River Project
    • GRA Scholastic Fund Program
  • Maps & Guides
    • Maps & Posters
    • Layperson's Guides
    • Map & Guide Bundles
    • Books
    • Colorado River Materials
    • California Runoff Rundown
    • Other Publications
    • Water Awareness Materials
    • Downloadable Publications
    • Videos and DVDs
      • Video Clips
    • School Age Publications
    • Cards and Stickers
    • Free Programs and Publications
  • Newsroom
    • Western Water News
    • Aquafornia
      • About Aquafornia
    • Information Desk
    • Western Water Magazine Archive
      • Full Print Edition
      • Print Edition Excerpts
    • River Report Archive
  • Aquapedia
    • Alphabetical List of Subjects
      • A
      • B
      • C
      • D
      • E
      • F
      • G
      • H
      • I
      • J
      • K
      • L
      • M
      • N
      • O
      • P
      • Q
      • R
      • S
      • T
      • U
      • V
      • W
      • X
      • Y
      • Z
    • Historical Water People
    • Where Does My Water Come From?
      • Northern California
      • Sacramento
      • North Bay
      • South Bay
      • Central Valley
      • Los Angeles
      • Inland Empire
      • San Diego
      • All California Water Sources
    • Timelines
    • Videos
    • Image Gallery
    • Water Directory
      • Federal Agencies
      • State Agencies in California
      • Environmental Organizations
      • Other California Organizations
      • State and Federal Legislative Committees
      • Water Associations and Groups
      • Western States Water Agencies and Districts
    • Online Resources
    • Useful Acronyms
    • About Aquapedia
  • About
    • About Us
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff Biographies
      • Job Openings
    • Announcements
    • Support Our Mission
      • Become a Member
      • Donate in Honor/Memory
      • Donate to Aquapedia or Aquafornia
      • Shop Amazon
      • Planned Giving
    • Contact Us

Topic: Water Recycling

Overview April 24, 2014

Water Recycling

All water is recycled and reused as a part of natural water processes such as the hydrologic cycle.

Man-made water recycling, also known as water reclamation or water reuse, centers on using treated wastewater.

  • Read more
Aquafornia news April 12, 2021 Santa Barbara News-Press

Goleta Water District to discuss partnership with Tesla

The Goleta Water District on Tuesday will discuss a resolution to enroll the district in an initiative program and to execute agreements with Tesla, Inc., for battery systems at the Corona Del Mar Water Treatment Plant and Ellwood Reservoir. Under the proposed agreement, Tesla would design, furnish, install, operate and maintain the battery systems through the California Public Utilities Commission Self-Generation Incentive Program. … The two battery systems, estimated to be currently worth approximately $1 million, will be owned by the district and provide emergency backup power during electrical outages and PSPS events, including approximately seven hours for Ellwood Reservoir and 8.3 hours for CDMWTP.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 12, 2021 Association of California Water Agencies

News release: ACWA testifies in support of climate resilience bond proposal with amendments

ACWA staff testified with a support-if-amended position on AB 1500 (E.Garcia) during an Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee hearing on April 8. The bill is one of two climate resilience bond proposals that are currently advancing through the state Legislature and could be headed for the June 2022 ballot. AB 1500 would create a $6.7 billion bond measure. ACWA, with input from the State Legislative Committee’s Bond Working Group, is requesting amendments to the bills to add funding for water-related climate resilience projects that help provide a reliable water supply during drought and flood. The amendments propose the bill include funding for conveyance, dam safety, groundwater protection and sustainable groundwater management, flood management, integrated regional water management and safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities, as well as water quality and water reuse and recycling.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 5, 2021 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey expansion SEIR revision work approved

A $230,000 revision of the Pure Water Monterey expansion project’s environmental review document will move forward after the Monterey One Water board approved the work earlier this week. At the same time, board members backing the study revision made it clear they wouldn’t support approving the recycled water expansion proposal itself until an outside funding source is available. On Monday, the Monterey One Water board voted 7-3 to approve the work needed to update a supplemental environmental impact report for the expansion proposal, including consultant contracts and a cost-sharing agreement with the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District whose board agreed last month to cover most of the revision’s cost. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 1, 2021 CNN

Here’s what’s in Biden’s infrastructure proposal

Now that his massive coronavirus relief package is law, President Joe Biden is laying out his next big proposal: A roughly $2 trillion plan for improving the nation’s infrastructure  … Biden’s plan allocates $111 billion to rebuild the country’s water infrastructure. It would replace all of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines in order to improve the health of American children and communities of color. The White House says replacing the pipes would reduce lead exposure in 400,000 schools and childcare facilities. The proposal would upgrade the country’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems, tackle new contaminants and support clean water infrastructure in rural parts of the country.

Related article: 

  • Los Angeles Times: Harris to return to L.A. for Easter and promote water improvements in Oakland
  • Lake County News: National agriculture, water coalition highlights need for more water investments in Biden infrastructure proposal
  • KNAU: Federal Water Bill Would Allocate $50 Million To Tribal Drinking Water Projects​
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 30, 2021 Spectrum News 1

Clean, locally sourced water could make a comeback in Lomita

For the last seven years, Lomita resident Brenda Stephens has been advocating for better, locally sourced tap water. … Following a long history of water quality issues, plus the detection of benzene in 2019, the city of Lomita’s Cypress Water Production Facility has remained offline. The city currently outsources its water supply. For Stephens, it’s been a break from water issues. … In late 2019, Stephens and other Lomita residents took part in a CWPF tour that showcased how a new filtration system will alleviate the city’s locally-sourced water problems and bring the facility back online, safely. The city of Lomita received a $2 million grant from the Water Replenishment District’s Safe Drinking Water program.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 29, 2021 East County Magazine

Santee council gets update on Padre Dam’s big project

Padre Dam Water District wants to keep everyone in the loop about its massive sewage reclamation project, especially the city where the project is located — Santee. At its March 24 virtual meeting, the Santee City Council approved a legal agreement to work collaboratively with the joint powers authority that is overseeing the nearly $700 million program called Advanced Water Purification. … The Advanced Water Purification project got going in 2014 and is similar to several other water reclamation projects in the state, including one being built by the city of San Diego called Pure Water. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 29, 2021 Association of California Water Agencies

News release: ACWA-Sponsored SB 323 passes Committee hearing

ACWA-sponsored SB 323 (Caballero) passed out of the Senate Government and Finance Committee on March 25, following a hearing in which ACWA staff and members testified in support….The bill would improve financial stability for public agencies by creating a 120-day statute of limitations for legal challenges to water and sewer service rates. It comes as water and wastewater agencies have faced increased litigation from ratepayers over whether agency rates comply with Proposition 218 and other existing laws.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 26, 2021 San Luis Obispo Tribune

Opinion: SLO should advance plan to pipe reclaimed water to Edna

A water project that would generate revenue, make wise use of reclaimed water and preserve large tracts of open space in the city of San Luis Obispo was first made public over 10 years ago. Since then, the city has made no progress on the proposal to allow Edna Valley landowners to reuse some of the city’s treated wastewater to irrigate vineyards and other agricultural crops. Surplus water already could be assisting growers in Edna Valley, which is an important part of the city’s greenbelt. 
– Written by Neil Havlik, who served as San Luis Obispo’s natural resources manager from 1996 to 2012.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 26, 2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Helix, Padre Dam Municipal water districts use lawsuit win to help customers

Two East County water agencies plan to reduce future water rates by using millions of dollars they received from the County Water Authority as part of a legal settlement. The Water Authority announced a plan Feb. 25 to distribute $44.4 million to its 24-member agencies — including the Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District — after receiving a check for that amount from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. A San Francisco Superior Court ruled in favor of the Water Authority in January in two lawsuits against Metro challenging rates and charges. The money is for legal damages and interest from the decade-long rate cases. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 25, 2021 Marin Independent Journal

Las Gallinas sewage agency expands recycled water system

The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District completed construction this week on an expansion of its water recycling system, increasing the district’s recycled water production capacity nearly fourfold. …The expanded system allows the district to treat roughly 5.4 million gallons of recycled water per day at its headquarters at 300 Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael. That’s up from the district’s previous capacity of 1.4 million daily gallons.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 24, 2021 U.S. Department of Energy

News release: DOE awards $27.5 million to 16 teams working to decarbonize U.S. water infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced awards totaling $27.5 million for 16 water infrastructure projects. Modern technology has the potential to reduce energy use in aging water infrastructure, particularly in wastewater treatment, which demands up to 2% of domestic electricity use each year. These projects, operating in 13 states, have the potential to reduce carbon emissions and water-treatment costs while improving water quality and equity of distribution nationwide. … They are based out of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Virginia.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 23, 2021 Patch, San Jose Spotlight

San Jose pumps the brakes on Valley Water water-recycling plan

In an effort to address drought and increase local groundwater supply, the Santa Clara County Valley Water District is fast-tracking a plan to purify and recycle more water in San Jose. … But city elected leaders — concerned for the environment and limited staff resources due to COVID-19 — are pumping the brakes and want more time to negotiate. Councilmembers met Friday with Valley Water’s board of directors for a special meeting to hash out the issue.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 22, 2021 National Geographic

As the U.S. faces an uncertain water future, millions of Americans are coming together to conserve water

Witnessing the devastating effects of drought in rural California and India at the age of 11 spurred Shreya Ramachandran to action. She devoted years to researching the reuse of grey water—lightly used water from sinks, showers, and laundry—and painstakingly tested the environmental safety of organic detergents. The nonprofit Ramachandran founded, the Grey Water Project, has inspired thousands of people to build their own “laundry to lawn” grey water systems. Now a high school senior, she’s collaborated with several California water agencies and the United Nations Global Wastewater Initiative, and created a grey water curriculum for elementary students to show them that small actions can make a big difference.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 19, 2021 Monterey Herald

Board approves Pure Water Monterey expansion report spending

Acting in advance of its Pure Water Monterey expansion project partner, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board has agreed to spend an additional $180,000 on updating the project’s environmental document and source water analysis for the proposal. On Monday, the water district board voted 7-0 to spend $181,125 on work to update the recycled water expansion project’s supplemental environmental impact report and conduct source water modeling in an attempt to address an issue that has drawn heavy criticism and opposition.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 19, 2021 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Next phase of construction green-lit on Pure Water Soquel project

The construction of 8 miles of water pipeline that will be integral to the Pure Water Soquel project, was approved by Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors this week. The Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin, from which at least 50,000 residents depend on for drinking water, has been deemed critically depleted by the state. Years of intensive pumping for agriculture and drinking water has drawn out more water from the aquifer than is being replenished naturally by rainwater. That’s led to seawater seeping into underground storage and wells. The Pure Water project aims to bolster groundwater levels in the aquifer, and prevent seawater contamination, which has already been detected in some areas.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 16, 2021 Voice of San Diego

Blog: We’re about to drink recycled water but don’t know what’s in it

I’ve been writing a lot about the broken sewage system in Tijuana causing spills into San Diego. Part of the concern, San Diego officials told me, is that Mexico lacks a system to monitor whether businesses are dumping toxic waste into the sewer system. That’s part of the reason why it’s risky to reuse any of that river water because, if we don’t know what’s in the water, we can’t be sure how to best treat it. San Diego is about to run into this issue in a big way with its Pure Water project, a multibillion-dollar system that’s going to recycle the city’s sewage and treat it so, well, you can drink it. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 12, 2021 The Revelator

Blog: Stormwater could become an important water source — if we stopped ignoring it

Climate change and other environmental pressures are already putting the pinch on water resources in California, the Southwest and other arid parts of the world. Over-tapped groundwater, rivers and lakes are forcing water managers to find new supplies. Some of these can be costly, like treating wastewater for drinking water. Or they can come with a hefty price tag and outsized environmental footprint, like desalination or new dams. There’s another option on the table, though: stormwater. If we do the accounting right, runoff from precipitation is a cost-effective supplementary water resource, experts say. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 11, 2021 KCRA3

California could get $150B from federal virus relief bill

The massive COVID-19 relief bill Congress approved Wednesday will pump more than $150 billion into California’s economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration said Wednesday, including a $26 billion windfall for the state’s already burgeoning budget surplus. … [The U.S. Treasury Department has told state governments] they can use the money to respond to the public health emergency, provide government services or invest in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 8, 2021 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey expansion could have new life

A newly constituted Monterey One Water board plans to consider whether to move forward with an environmental impact report for the previously stalled Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal. Last month, the board unanimously agreed to direct agency staff to prepare a report on the cost and timeline for reviving the supplemental EIR for the board’s consideration at its March 29 meeting. The board would presumably decide whether to actually go ahead with the work to update the document for potential certification.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 8, 2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego’s Pure Water sewage recycling system ready for construction with all hurdles cleared

San Diego is ready to start building the long-awaited Pure Water sewage recycling system, now that city officials have resolved litigation that delayed the project 18 months and increased its estimated cost to $5 billion, city officials say. Pure Water will boost San Diego’s water independence by recycling 83 million gallons of treated sewage into potable drinking water by 2035.

Related article: 

  • Waste Management World: San Diego starts building Pure Water sewage recycling system
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 1, 2021 YES! Magazine

Reclaimed water could be the solution to farming in a drier future

On a Saturday in late October, Carolyn Phinney is hip-deep in a half-acre of vegetables, at the nucleus of what will one day be 15 acres of productive farmland. … The patch is a wealth of herbs, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, kale, winter squash, and zucchini. So much zucchini—fruits the size of bowling pins hidden under leaves as big as umbrellas. “Zucchini plants are supposed to be 30 inches across. Ours are 8 feet,” she says. “Everything looks like it’s on steroids.” Phinney is the farmer behind CoCo San Sustainable Farm of Martinez, California, a farm built on reclaimed land, using reclaimed water, and started with a simple mission: to get kids to eat more vegetables.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 1, 2021 Monterey County Weekly

Reconfigured Monterey One Water board moves forward with an expanded Pure Water Monterey project

Monterey One Water just celebrated the one-year anniversary of delivering recycled wastewater via the Pure Water Monterey project. The advanced filtration system is used on treated sewage water, which is then injected deep underground where the new supply will be mixed with the existing water supply.  Even before phase one of the Pure Water Monterey project was online, the board of M1W began debating an expansion of the project. But that expansion has been on ice for months, after the M1W board voted 11-10 (on a weighted vote) in April of 2020 not to proceed. It’s about to come back. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 25, 2021 EurekAlert!

News release: One California community shows how to take the waste out of water

Caught between climate change and multi-year droughts, California communities are tapping groundwater and siphoning surface water at unsustainable rates. As this year’s below-average rainfall accentuates the problem, a public-private partnership in the Monterey/Salinas region has created a novel water recycling program that could serve as a model for parched communities everywhere. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 23, 2021 BenitoLink

San Juan Bautista moves ahead with water compliance projects

San Juan Bautista made progress on its water compliance projects on Feb. 16 as the City Council unanimously approved contracts for moving wastewater out of the city, financing, and a formalized agreement with the San Benito County Water District to provide water.  On Oct. 15, the city opted to send its wastewater to the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant and to acquire potable water from San Benito County Water District’s West Hills Water Treatment Plant. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 18, 2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Opinion: California needs a more flexible approach for planning for sea level rise across the state

The state of California has changed its sea level rise guidance for state agencies and coastal communities, now advising in new “Principles for Aligned State Action” that Californians employ a single sea level rise target — plan for 3.5 feet by 2050 — as opposed to the more flexible approach the state used in the past. But this single sea level rise number does not represent the best available science and could make California less resilient to climate change. 
–Written by Robert Lempert, a senior scientist at the RAND Corp. and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and David Behar, climate program director at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and co-chair of the World Climate Research Programme’s Sea Level Rise Grand Challenge Committee. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 17, 2021 Voice of San Diego

Water Authority didn’t always take Pure Water project seriously, emails show

In its 25-year plan ensuring the San Diego region has enough water to go around, the county’s largest water provider didn’t appear to take the region’s biggest water recycling project to date very seriously, at least at first. Emails between the San Diego County Water Authority staff and city of San Diego officials show the city had to argue for the second and biggest phase of its Pure Water program to be considered a realistic future source of drinking water. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 16, 2021 Long Beach Post News

Long Beach to build new groundwater treatment facility in upper Westside

The Long Beach Water Department approved an agreement this month to acquire two properties near an existing well site in West Long Beach as it aims to build a new potable water treatment facility that would treat groundwater there. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 11, 2021 Water Education Colorado

Blog: Colorado Water Plan turns five: Is it working?

In the five years since Colorado’s Water Plan took effect, the state has awarded nearly $500 million in loans and grants for water projects, cities have enacted strict drought plans, communities have written nearly two dozen locally based stream restoration plans, and crews have been hard at work improving irrigation systems and upgrading wastewater treatment plants. But big challenges lie ahead — drought, population growth, accelerating climate change, budget cuts, wildfires and competing demands for water, among others.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 10, 2021 Pasadena Now

Opinion: Till the well runs dry – Pasadena’s devastating water plan

As long as people have lived in Pasadena, water has been an essential element for the life-style, health and economy of our region. Now, however, Pasadena faces a severe water crisis. This never has been an easy need to resolve, but population, growth and climate change have made the development of a sustainable or resilient water program an even greater necessity for the future. It’s not just a challenge for Pasadena, but also for all of California, and even the nation.
-Written by Tim Brick, the Managing Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation.  

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 9, 2021 RECYCLING magazine

Study: Global markets and technologies for water recycling and reuse

Threats associated with global water scarcity are increasingly making news as continued growth in agricultural production, expansion of urban boundaries, new industrial facilities, and increased sensitivity to environmental needs drive increased water demand. Supply side constraints for water are further exacerbated by increasingly intense and frequent drought events, such as the recent four-year (2016 to 2020) California drought … Thus, a proliferation in wastewater recycling over the coming decades could support a significant lessening of water stress in many water-stressed areas.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 4, 2021 Pleasanton Weekly

Pleasanton city council drops pursuit for potable water

Pleasanton is no longer pursuing potable reuse as a water supply alternative after the City Council voted 3-2 to stop studying the matter with other regional agencies on Tuesday.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 3, 2021 Globe Newswire

News release: EPCOR receives grant to build reclaimed water pipeline

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has awarded EPCOR USA a $250,000 grant to help build a new reclaimed water pipeline for the benefit of San Tan (formerly Johnson Utilities) customers, agricultural water users, and the San Tan Valley region. This supports water management goals in the Phoenix Active Management Area by reducing demand for groundwater pumping. Under the terms of the Lower Colorado Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), Arizona stakeholders agreed to offset Central Arizona Project water reductions to agricultural users by making alternate sources available. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 29, 2021 Valley News

Pipeline replacement on Temecula Parkway continues

Rancho California Water District crews are continuing work to replace more than a mile of aging pipeline under westbound Temecula Parkway. The project began in November, and Rancho Water staff told the Temecula City Council in October that work was expected to continue through the middle of next year. The project will ultimately replace about 8,000 feet, or about a mile and a half, of aging recycled water pipeline between Bedford Court and Rancho Pueblo Road…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 29, 2021 KSRO

California congressman appointed to Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee

California Congressman John Garamendi is being appointed by his congressional colleagues to the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly. Garamendi will now oversee matters related to water resources development, conservation, infrastructure and hazardous waste cleanup. He says water conservation is “critical,” and wants storage and recycling of the state’s water supply to be key elements for his new policies.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 20, 2021 CalMatters

Opinion: Water partnerships between cities and farms would help prepare for a changing climate

San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities are facing different but equally daunting water challenges.  For Valley farmers, the requirement to achieve groundwater sustainability in coming years has heightened interest in expanding water supplies to reduce the need to fallow irrigated farmland. For Southern California, falling demands since the early 2000s have reduced water stress during normal and wet years, but a warming climate makes future droughts a major concern. Both regions’ water futures could be more secure if they jointly developed and managed some water supplies.
-Written by Alvar Escriva-Bou, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 11, 2021 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey project bolstered by federal grant

Recognizing the groundbreaking nature of the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project, the U.S Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the project a $15.5 million grant.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 11, 2021 Voice of San Diego

Who owns the Tijuana River water?

The quality of the water crossing into San Diego from Tijuana during storms is, well, not the greatest. If it could be successfully recycled one day, that same polluted source would be valuable to a region like ours that’s prone to drought.But who owns the Tijuana River and who needs its water the most are complex questions, because the area is ruled by international treaties. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 6, 2021 Bloomberg

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California falling short on 2030 recycled wastewater goals

California isn’t meeting its recycled water goals, and billions of gallons of treated wastewater are being discharged into the ocean or other water bodies each year, according to state regulators, who say drought conditions could cause future supply challenges.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 4, 2021 Torrance Daily Breeze

Water district’s next leader in limbo following controversial attempt to hire former Carson mayor

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the Water Replenishment District as staff, board members and the district’s attorneys try to navigate a legal minefield created by controversial attempts to hire former Carson Mayor Albert Robles as the agency’s new general manager.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 10, 2020 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

News release: Metropolitan Water District, Southern Nevada Water Authority collaborate to explore development of recycled water project

In a bold step toward a new kind of collaboration in the Colorado River Basin, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Southern Nevada Water Authority are partnering to explore development of a drought-proof water supply that could reduce reliance on the over-stressed river.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 10, 2020 The Coast News Group

Pure Water project may receive $6 million for construction

The U.S. Secretary of the Interior is planning to recommend a $6 million grant award for the construction of the Pure Water Oceanside project. Pure Water Oceanside will purify recycled water to create a local source of potable drinking water. Currently, the city imports about 85% of its water from hundreds of miles away at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the Colorado River.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 9, 2020 Water News Network

Blog: Miramar Reservoir marks 60 years of service

For 60 years, Miramar Reservoir has been an integral part of the City of San Diego’s drinking water system … Now, the reservoir is being called into service to play a vital part in San Diego’s future Pure Water system to sustain a reliable water supply.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 30, 2020 Ridgecrest Daily Independent

Council, IWVGA agree on recycled water

If an options agreement between the [Ridgecrest] City Council and Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority comes to fruition, recycled water from the city’s wastewater facility could help balance the groundwater basin… Both the council and the groundwater authorities at their respective meetings last week approved the option agreement between the two parties for recycled wastewater.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 23, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Popular Lake Miramar gets key new role just as it turns 60

Lake Miramar, a longtime recreational oasis celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is about to become a key part of San Diego’s new $5 billion Pure Water system that will boost the city’s water independence by recycling treated sewage.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 20, 2020 Santa Clara Valley Water News

Blog: Valley Water releases draft master plan for water reuse

As the water resource manager for Santa Clara County, Valley Water works diligently to secure a safe, reliable water supply for Silicon Valley in a sustainable manner that protects our environment. That’s why water reuse is a critical strategy to the agency’s future water supply outlook.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 17, 2020 Water & Wastes Digest

Benefits bubble up: Wastewater treatment

Bear Republic Brewing Company started by trucking three 6,000-gallon trucks of waste from the Cloverdale brewery location to a facility in Oakland roughly 90 miles away one-way. This solution was simply unsustainable for many reasons, and Bear Republic eventually partnered with Cambrian Innovation to install two anaerobic reactors on site.

Related article:

  • The Conversation: We brewed beer from recycled wastewater – and it tasted great
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Monterey Herald

Election 2020: Pure Water Monterey expansion hangs in balance

With the future of the much-debated Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal hanging on a single vote, the hotly contested Del Rey Oaks City Council race has taken on regional significance.

Related article:

  • Monterey Herald: Closing the CEMEX plant: The sands will be shifting
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 16, 2020 Ridgecrest Daily Independent

Council to talk agreement with Indian Wells Groundwater Authority for recycled water

The Ridgecrest City Council Nov. 18 will discuss entering into an agreement with the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority regarding treated wastewater. … The agreement would be for five years, during which the city would provide for sale to the IWVGA available recycled water produced at its wastewater treatment plant upon 30-day notice to the city.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 12, 2020 Los Angeles Sentinel

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Metropolitan board advances major recycled water project

The Metropolitan Water District board voted to begin environmental planning work on what would be one of the largest advanced purified wastewater treatment plants in the world. Metropolitan officials said the approval marks a significant milestone for the Regional Recycled Water Program…

Related articles:

  • Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: News release: Metropolitan board advances major recycled water project 
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 10, 2020 Inkstain.net

Blog: Tensions around a wastewater reclamation collaboration in Southern California

There’s some fascinating tension around a proposed wastewater reclamation collaboration in Southern California. The project, if it goes forward, would provide some 150 million gallons per day (~170,000 acre feet per year) of treated effluent. Water now being discharged into the ocean would instead be available for aquifer recharge within Southern California.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 6, 2020 The Almanac

Menlo Park’s first recycled water system officially launches in Sharon Heights

Years in the works, Menlo Park’s first recycled water system is up and running, carrying wastewater from local households to the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, where a new treatment facility cleans the water for irrigation use, keeping the golf course a lush emerald green.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Ridgecrest Daily Independent

Could recycled water help balance the basin?

If all goes according to plan, recycled water from the city’s planned $45 to $60 million wastewater treatment facility may be used to help balance the Indian Wells Valley groundwater basin as mandated by the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 26, 2020 Monterey Herald

Desal, public buyout at center of Monterey Peninsula Water District board race

It’s little surprise California American Water’s proposed desalination project and the fate of a public buyout effort aimed at acquiring the company’s local water system are at the core of the contests for two seats on the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board of directors…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 21, 2020 Patch.com

East County advanced water purification project moving forward

The $681 million project, led by the East [San Diego] County Advanced Water Purification Project Joint Powers Authority, will recycle daily wastewater flows from Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Winter Gardens and Alpine. The recycled water will then go through an advanced treatment process that includes membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation to produce purified water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 15, 2020 San Luis Obispo Tribune

Morro Bay gives tour of new water reclamation facility

After about six months of construction, Morro Bay’s new water reclamation facility is well underway — and it remains politically divisive this election season, with three candidates talking about halting or undoing the project, which is the largest-ever infrastructure project in city history.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 13, 2020 Santa Clarita Valley Signal

SCV Water awarded $10 mil in grants

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency received $10.5 million in grants from the California Department of Water Resources to fund five local projects related to recycling and water-quality improvements.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 12, 2020 Monterey Herald

Cal Am, Marina open to meeting on desal project ‘solution’

California American Water and Marina city officials are in the process of setting up talks on the company’s desalination project after exchanging letters over the past several weeks.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 12, 2020 Orange County Register

Vast new reservoir in south Orange County gets its first drops of water

It’s still dry as dirt, but promises to be a central component of future water supplies for the 165,000 people served by the Santa Margarita Water District. While the district currently imports 100% of its drinking water from the Colorado River and northern California, the new Trampas Canyon Reservoir is part of a plan to generate 30% of potable water supplies locally and to recycle more wastewater.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 7, 2020 Maven's Notebook

Tess Dunham: California’s three-legged stool for improving groundwater quality

Every year, the Groundwater Resources Association of California selects two speakers for the David Keith Todd Lectureship… One of the speakers for the 2020 lecture series was Theresa “Tess” Dunham, an attorney with Kahn, Soares & Conway LLP, who spoke about groundwater quality and how the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and the state’s recycled water policy can work together.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 6, 2020 Soquel Creek Water District

News release: Soquel Creek Water District receives $88.9 million low-interest loan from US EPA for Pure Water Soquel construction

The Soquel Creek Water District is pleased to announce that its low-interest loan from the US Environmental Protection Agency has been approved, to be used toward construction of the Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Replenishment and Seawater Intrusion Prevention Project. The loan, up to a maximum of $88.9 million at an interest rate of 1.34%, is part of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funding program.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 2, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Opinion: Pure Water Soquel addresses water woes

A letter posed an excellent question to the Soquel Creek Water District – a question that comes up often in the community. To paraphrase: with the Mid-County groundwater basin in a state of critical overdraft, why is development that adds water users to the already over-burdened water system allowed to continue?

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 28, 2020 Monterey Herald

Opinion:  Water supply – the testimony that never was

Last week on these pages, you heard the President of California American Water explain their rationale for withdrawing their application for a desalination plant from the California Coastal Commission the day before their Sept. 17 hearing. What he didn’t tell you is that there is a feasible alternative project that has less environmental impact, is more socially just, and would be less costly to ratepayers

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 18, 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

News release: EPA facilitates progress of national water reuse action plan

On Wednesday, at the virtual 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency facilitated a “charrette” to identify challenges and map solutions to continue advancing the National Water Reuse Action Plan… “Water reuse must be a central theme in EPA’s efforts to meet 21st century demands for water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water David Ross.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 15, 2020 Voice of San Diego

Pursuing independent water sources, San Diego ignores one beneath its feet

San Diego is not well endowed with many freshwater sources to support its growing population, so some water experts are perplexed the city’s ignoring a self-replenishing local groundwater source that, though small in size, is safe from the threat of natural disasters and reliably recharged by the San Diego River.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 15, 2020 Los Angeles Times

Fight over desalinization is now about environmental justice

This proposal by California American Water has become one of the most complicated and fraught issues to come before the California Coastal Commission, whose long-awaited vote on Thursday could determine not only the contentious future of water on the Monterey Peninsula — but also the role of government in undoing environmental inequity.

Related articles:

  • Monterey Herald: Coastal Commission to revisit Cal Am desal project Thursday
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 14, 2020 Yucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror

Yucaipa Valley Water District moves ahead with a second recycled water fill station

The plan, approved by the board of directors, will help serve more customers who use recycled water for irrigation, construction grading, fire department usage. Additionally, the board approved temporarily closing the Recycled Water Fill Station No. 1 to move it, upgrade it and add better security for the grounds.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 10, 2020 Water Environment Federation

Blog: Water utilities commended for transformational programming

The Utility of the Future Today recognition program celebrates the achievements of water utilities that transform from a traditional wastewater treatment system to a resource recovery center and leader in the overall sustainability and resilience of the communities they serve.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 8, 2020 CalMatters

Opinion: Desal plant on Monterey Peninsula is not the best option

Expansion of the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project is the best option for the Monterey region to meet its future water supply needs. Unfortunately, California American Water Co., a private water supplier, is discrediting the project in hopes of getting approval for their much more costly, oversized and environmentally harmful groundwater desalination project…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 8, 2020 The Press Democrat

Santa Rosa orders sudden curtailment for farm irrigators after miscalculation on recycled water supply

Santa Rosa miscalculated its stored water forecast near the beginning of the irrigation season, leading to sudden limits on water use that farmers say will cost them dearly in an already dry year. In mid-June, the agricultural users were put on notice: There would not be enough irrigation water for all to last through the growing season, according to the city.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 28, 2020 Monterey Herald

Coastal Commission staff again advises desal project denial

Nine months after the Coastal Commission conducted its first hearing on California American Water’s proposed desalination project, commission staff has again recommended denial of the project in favor of a Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 27, 2020 Waste360

California waste district and wastewater treatment plant partner to boost their bottom lines

In California, Monterey Regional Waste Management District and its neighbor, wastewater treatment plant Monterey One Water, have entered a somewhat unusual relationship with unique benefits to each. And the relationship has payoffs for its shared customers too.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 21, 2020 EurekAlert

News release: Make wastewater drinkable again

Using Houston as a model, researchers at Rice’s Brown School of Engineering have developed a plan that could reduce the need for surface water (from rivers, reservoirs or wells) by 28% by recycling wastewater to make it drinkable once again.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 20, 2020 Coastalview.com

Opinion: Water district seeks drought proof supply

The development of a groundwater sustainability plan has begun and will help ensure we can manage the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin sustainably, which is an important shared resource for the Carpinteria Valley. In addition, the Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project, now under development, will allow us to diversify our water portfolio so that we can be resilient in future periods of drought.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 14, 2020 East County Today

Video: Ironhouse Sanitary District recycled water fill station

The Ironhouse Sanitary District has released a video of how residents of the City of Oakley and Bethel Island can utilize the Recycled Water Fill Station. The station is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Recycled water can be used for the irrigation of lawns, plants, trees, and vegetable gardens.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 13, 2020 Water Finance & Management

Pure Water San Diego program achieves milestone

A National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit has been granted to the city by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to add purified water to Miramar Reservoir for Phase 1 of the program.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 13, 2020 Santa Monica Mirror

Santa Monica-based group wins historic wastewater recycling suit

Every day Hyperion Water Treatment Plant discharges enough treated wastewater into the ocean to fill the Rose Bowl 2.5 times over. Now a court has instructed state water officials to analyze whether it is “wasteful” and “unreasonable” to dump billions of gallons of wastewater into the sea.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 12, 2020 Business Wire

News release: Los Angeles Waterkeeper prevails in historic wastewater recycling suit

The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a historic ruling, in favor of Los Angeles Waterkeeper, that compels the State Water Resources Control Board to analyze whether it is “wasteful” and “unreasonable” to dump billions of gallons of wastewater uselessly into the sea, when it could instead be used productively to ensure the sustainability of California’s water resources.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 11, 2020 Monterey Herald

Opinion: Some losers in water project

In his Aug. 2 Herald commentary, Grant Leonard claimed that Cal Am’s proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project would be a win-win for both Castroville, a disadvantaged community, and Carmel, which is on the other side of the economic spectrum. Some things challenge that claim.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 27, 2020 Voice of San Diego

San Diego’s big recycled water project wins in court

San Diego’s oft-delayed Pure Water project – a bid to create a third of the city’s water from recycled sewage – scored a victory in court Friday that could get the $5 billion project back on track.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 22, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

City of Oceanside picked as Recycled Water Agency of the Year

The City of Oceanside was picked from among small agencies throughout California as Recycled Water Agency of the Year for its significant water recycling efforts. The city was recognized with an Award of Excellence at WateReuse California’s virtual conference earlier this summer.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 21, 2020 WaterWorld

East County Advanced Water Purification program receives $86m

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Board of Directors recently approved the East County Advanced Water Purification Program for its Local Resources Program, providing approximately $86 million in funding for this important water supply project.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 16, 2020 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

News release: Metropolitan approves funding of two local supply projects

In separate actions Tuesday, Metropolitan’s Board of Directors voted to provide $115 million to the San Diego County Water Authority and its project partners for water produced by the East County Advanced Water Purification Project in Santee and the Escondido Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 10, 2020 WaterWorld

San Diego regional water projects awarded $15M from state

The California Department of Water Resources has awarded more than $15 million in grant funds to advance several regional water projects in San Diego County, ranging from water recycling and reuse to water conservation.

Related article:

  • Patch.com: State water department grants over $15M to San Diego projects
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 7, 2020 CW39.com

$20 million funding opportunity to strengthen America’s water infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is providing $20 million for innovations that “strengthen America’s water infrastructure and enable advanced water resource recovery systems that have the potential to be net energy positive.” Over the next 10 years, 40 states expect water shortages in some areas, according to the DOE.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news July 1, 2020 Water Finance and Management

Orange County awarded grant to increase drinking water supply

The Orange County Water District has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant program for use toward the construction of its Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Final Expansion project. Operational since 2008, the GWRS is undergoing its second and final expansion.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 29, 2020 San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Ken Manning, architect of groundwater cleanup in San Gabriel Valley, Chino Basin, retires

Mostly, the people didn’t know their groundwater was polluted.. And they didn’t know the contaminated portions shut down by federal authorities in many instances were finally being restored. Kenneth “Ken” Manning, 69, a fixture in ground-water restoration in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, a pioneer in water recycling and a master at public-private partnerships, knew. And on June 30, Manning will retire from his most recent job, as executive director of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 26, 2020 Voices of Monterey Bay

Opinion: Cal Am is blocking the Pure Water Monterey expansion

It seems some are willing to wait forever for a new water supply. After 25 years of failure, they still trust Cal Am to come up with a solution. But the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is clearly done waiting. Last Monday, the district board withdrew its support for Cal Am’s proposed desal plant.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 24, 2020 AgAlert

Water recycling project promises supply for farms

The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District is constructing the $375 million South Sacramento County Agriculture & Habitat Lands Recycled Water Program, or the South County Ag Program. As part of the wastewater provider’s $2 billion treatment plant upgrade, the district will construct new distribution pipelines to deliver recycled water from its to irrigation systems in southern Sacramento County.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 22, 2020 Monterey Herald

Monterey Peninsula water district board opposes Cal Am desal project

For the first time, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District has formally expressed opposition to the California American Water desalination project, backing the proposed Pure Water Monterey recycled water project expansion instead… At the same time, the district took another step toward potential acquisition of Cal Am’s Monterey water system with the release of a draft environmental impact report on the proposed public buyout effort.

Related articles:

  • Monterey Herald: Opinion: When will Pure Water Monterey start providing water?
  • Monterey Herald: Opinion: Cal Am holds Monterey Peninsula’s water supply hostage
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 17, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

Water district calls on Coastal Commission to deny Cal Am’s desalination permit

To a large extent, the fate of several multi-million dollar water projects on the Monterey Peninsula is in the hands of the California Coastal Commission. The question is whether the commission will grant a development permit for a desalination plant proposed by California American Water…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 12, 2020 WaterWorld

Advancing reuse through tertiary treatment

Water agencies in California typically include water recycling in their water supply portfolios, but the ones that serve smaller populations may not be able to implement full-blown reuse programs all at once. The City of Paso Robles, home to approximately 30,000 residents, shows it’s possible to build water resilience without building an advanced purification plant.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 9, 2020 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Reclamation selects nine water recycling and reuse projects to receive $16.6 million

The Bureau of Reclamation is providing $16.6 million to nine congressionally authorized Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse projects in California and Hawaii. This funding, part of the WaterSMART Program, is for the planning, design, and construction of water recycling and reuse projects in partnership with local government entities.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 5, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

Equal representation on a critical water board is denied due to political fighting

Thousands of people in Marina are being blocked from full representation on the board of a regional water agency, a casualty of a larger battle over the water future of the Monterey Peninsula. The agency is Monterey One Water, and it is responsible for treating sewage.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 4, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

Equal representation on a critical water board is denied due to political fighting

Thousands of people in Marina are being blocked from full representation on the board of a regional water agency, a casualty of a larger battle over the water future of the Monterey Peninsula.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 28, 2020 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey expansion remains afloat

A Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal has narrowly survived another attempt to shelve it indefinitely even as the main recycled water project struggles with operational and cost issues that have further postponed its water delivery date and hampered its capacity.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 27, 2020 Monterey County Weekly

Activists’ plan to filibuster Monterey One Water meeting is scuttled by a leak

Over email, local water activists concocted a secret plan to derail a vote that would potentially kill one water project and bolster the prospects of another. The idea was to stage a “filibuster” of the Monterey One Water board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 26.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 22, 2020 KPBS

San Diego supervisors OK agreement for water treatment project

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved a service agreement for an East County water project. East County Advanced Water Purification is a regional project that includes the county Sanitation District, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the city of El Cajon and Helix Water District. Those entities are also part of a joint powers authority, which was formed last November.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 20, 2020 Engineering News-Record

California 2020 Owner of the Year: Water district launches innovative recycling plan

Despite its reputation as a conservative owner, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is piloting a bold new initiative to produce an additional regional water source through its Regional Recycled Water Program, which aims to take treated sanitation water and purify it to produce high-quality drinking water. … The $3.4-billion plan could produce up to 150 million gallons of purified water daily, addressing the needs of more than 500,000 homes and industrial facilities.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 15, 2020 Monterey Herald

Opinion: Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal falls short

The board of Monterey One Water recently voted not to certify a supplemental environmental impact report (SEIR) for an expansion of Pure Water Monterey. While the expansion was a technical concept that might provide additional water for the Peninsula, the Board action injected some much-needed clear thinking and foresight into a critical topic for the Monterey Peninsula.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 13, 2020 UC Riverside

Blog: Rethinking (waste)water and conservation

As a result of compliance with conservation measures through lower indoor water use, the amount of wastewater effluent was reduced. This reduction means less water for recycling and reuse — a source of water often thought of as drought-proof — and less water for stream augmentation, with a consequence of potentially impacting streamflow and downstream water quality…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 11, 2020 Los Angeles Times

Editorial: Southern California doesn’t have decades to figure out water recycling. We need it now

What we in Los Angeles should want from the Met is a continuing flow of clean water from the faucet — but this time with planning and infrastructure that reduce reliance on diminishing imports, minimize damage to our fellow Californians in the delta and elsewhere, and sustain iconic species like migrating salmon.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 5, 2020 Monterey Herald

Monterey Peninsula Water District calls for revisiting Pure Water Monterey expansion report

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District officials have requested the Monterey One Water board certify the Pure Water Monterey expansion project supplemental environmental impact report within 30 days and is withholding more than $600,000 representing part of its share of the environmental review.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 4, 2020 San Diego Reader

Will Covid-19 turn San Diego’s water plan into Toilet to Grave?

“Regulatory guidelines for virus removal in potable reuse systems need additional review for possible more stringent requirements in the event of a coronavirus outbreak,” says an April 2 editorial in the journal Environmental Science and Water Technology, co-authored by Haizhou Liu of UC Riverside’s department of chemical and environmental engineering.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 1, 2020 California Water Environment Association

Blog: West County Wastewater and EBMUD strike agreement saving valuable drinking water

West County Wastewater and East Bay Municipal Utility District announced a recycled water partnership that will preserve valuable drinking water for the region and support West County Wastewater’s ongoing mission of environmental stewardship and protecting public health.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 29, 2020 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey expansion environmental report rejected

A proposed Pure Water Monterey expansion at the center of a contentious debate over the future of the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply hit a huge roadblock on Monday night, leaving its future in serious doubt.

Related article:

  • Monterey County Weekly: Desalination proponents mark a win against alternative water recycling project
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 29, 2020 The Capistrano Dispatch

South Orange County water reservoir, dam project still moving forward

A dam and reservoir under construction on land acquired from Rancho Mission Viejo has not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Santa Margarita Water District Deputy General Manager Don Bunts. Recent rainfall, however, has affected the Trampas Canyon Dam and Reservoir project, which intends to store recycled water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 27, 2020 Monterey Herald

Recycled water project: Pure Water expansion report, conditional approval to be considered

Amid continuing debate over the role the proposed Pure Water Monterey recycled water project expansion will play in the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply, the proposal has reached a key stage. On Monday, the Monterey One Water board is scheduled to consider certifying a final supplemental environmental impact report for the expansion project…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 27, 2020 Highland Community News

Sterling mid-project update

As of March, the East Valley Water District’s Sterling Natural Resource Center construction project reached the halfway point to scheduled completion⎯about 18 months in and 18 months left to work. The water recycling plant will be capable of treating up to 10 million gallons per day, depositing the clean water into percolation ponds in order to recharge the Bunker Hill Basin groundwater.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 23, 2020 Bloomberg Environment

Senate water bills need more funding due to pandemic: Witnesses

Two bipartisan draft water infrastructure bills unveiled this week by the Senate environment committee are a good start but will need even more funding in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, water agencies and other groups said Wednesday.

Related articles:

  • State Water Resources Control Board: Fact Sheet: California’s recycled water and treated wastewater is safe from the COVID-19 virus
  • ABC News: What experts say about coronavirus in water — and what it means for beach season
  • Water Well Journal: COVID-19 is not a reason by itself for home treatment systems and bottled water
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 21, 2020 Water & Wastes Digest

PFAS in potable reuse: Crisis or non-issue?

Given the recent impact of PFAS on other aspects of the water and wastewater industry, it is important to determine the consequences potential new regulation andnew public awareness of PFAS will have for potable reuse projects.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 14, 2020 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Wastewater treatment kills most pathogens, including COVID-19 virus

Californians reuse treated wastewater as a water supply, to irrigate crops, and to support freshwater ecosystems. To get answers to questions about managing the new coronavirus in the “sewershed,” we talked to two experts: Kara Nelson, an expert in waterborne pathogens at UC Berkeley; and Adam Link, executive director of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies.

Related article:

  • Smart Water Magazine: Water utilities taking steps to prevent disruptions and assist households, says AWWA
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 8, 2020 PlanetWatch

Opinion: The low down on the EPA’s National Water Reuse Action Plan

In a time when many people in the world are inside their houses to stop the spread of covid-19, it is easy to forget that good news still exists. The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Water Reuse Action Plan is a bit of good news. The Plan, announced on February 27, 2020, by EPA Administration Andrew Wheeler, prioritizes the use of recycled water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 8, 2020 Pacific Institute

Blog: Stormwater capture is undervalued in California

Stormwater is the rain and other water that runs off of streets and sidewalks into nearby gutters or waterways. Communities throughout the western U.S. are expanding efforts to collect this valuable water resource. These projects range from capturing water from a single rooftop or driveway to developing large infiltration basins that recharge billions of gallons of water each year in groundwater basins.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 19, 2020 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Ukiah’s Purple Pipe performs well during ‘mock frost event’

Likely just in time for the real thing, a “Mock Frost” event was held this week to test the capacity of the city of Ukiah’s recycled Water System, also called the Purple Pipe. … “It went well,” Ukiah grape grower David Koball said of the test. “There was lots of water pressure and we had no issues.”

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 19, 2020 San Bernardino City News

Water and school district partner on new career pathway

The Water and Wastewater Pathway at Indian Springs High School is strategically located near East Valley Water District’s new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility. The Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) will provide a sustainable new water supply to boost the region’s water independence.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 18, 2020 Bloomberg Environment

EPA seeks to expand federal role in water reuse

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released its National Water Reuse Action Plan to promote more water reuse in the U.S. William M. Alley, director of science and technology for the National Ground Water Association, says the plan focuses on low-hanging fruit and states and associations will likely remain the leaders and innovators in water reuse.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 12, 2020 Best, Best & Krieger

Blog: The EPA’s National Water Reuse Action Plan

A new National Water Reuse Action Plan focuses on water reuse practices aimed at strengthening water security, sustainability and resilience for both rural and urban communities. … The EPA and its partners hope to increase water reuse to address the rising demands for water across the United States. Currently, water reuse amounts to less than 1 percent of the demand.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 11, 2020 Treatment Plant Operator Magazine

California district partners with other utilities to meet all of its customers’ irrigation needs

In a part of the country where freshwater supplies are often scarce, the Olivenhain (California) Municipal Water District is doing its part. The 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility recycles some 1 million gallons of high-quality effluent each day for irrigation and shares even more with neighboring communities.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 9, 2020 Governing

California’s ’salad bowl’ recharges depleted aquifer

A multi-partner water recycling project is helping Monterey, Calif., stabilize and replenish its dwindling groundwater supply. The project could serve as a model for shrinking aquifers in other regions of the country.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 6, 2020 The Press

Oakley considers recycled water use

In partnership with the Diablo Water District, the Ironhouse Sanitary District is examining the potential to reintroduce treated wastewater into the drinking water supply through a process called indirect water reuse.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 2, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Contractors get reprieve in effort to block San Diego’s Pure Water recycling system

Legal wrangling over San Diego’s proposed Pure Water sewage recycling system continued Friday, when a judge gave a temporary reprieve to a group of local contractors fighting for the ability of non-union workers to help build the system.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 2, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Contractors get reprieve in effort to block San Diego’s Pure Water recycling system

Legal wrangling over San Diego’s proposed Pure Water sewage recycling system continued Friday, when a judge gave a temporary reprieve to a group of local contractors fighting for the ability of non-union workers to help build the system.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 25, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego’s landmark water recycling project may face longer delays than expected

San Diego’s long-awaited Pure Water project, a sewage recycling system that would boost the city’s water independence, is facing legal challenges that could last longer and cost more than city officials previously anticipated.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 21, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Oceanside leads county with plan to make recycled water safe to drink

Oceanside celebrated the start of construction Wednesday on a project that could make it the first city in San Diego County to be drinking recycled water by 2022. At least two other cities or water districts are close behind on similar projects, and several more agencies are considering plans to make potable recycled water a significant portion of their supply.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 20, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Water board OKs $3.2M Live Oak water plant land purchase

A planned water recycling plant project took a leap forward this week after approval of a new land purchase. The Soquel Creek Water District board voted unanimously Tuesday night to exercise its $3.2 million option to purchase nearly 2 acres of Live Oak light industrial property at the corner of Chanticleer and Soquel drives.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 19, 2020 Times of San Diego

City of Oceanside to break ground on Pure Water Oceanside

Marking a historic moment for the city of Oceanside and the region, city officials and water industry leaders will break ground on Pure Water Oceanside on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility. Scheduled to be completed before the end of 2021, Pure Water Oceanside will be on the map as the first operating recycled water project in San Diego County.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 13, 2020 Pleasanton Weekly

Studying potable reuse water for Pleasanton

City staff recommends Pleasanton sign on to a potentially $1 million task order with three other Tri-Valley public water agencies for preliminary studies and community outreach … to explore the possibility of supplementing the local water supply with recycled water treated for drinking purposes, better known as potable reuse water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 7, 2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Sweetwater Authority eyes recycled water that Otay Water District doesn’t use

The governing boards of the two water agencies, which combined serve southern and eastern San Diego County, recently created a joint committee to explore a potential arrangement that would allow Sweetwater to purchase recycled water from Otay.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 6, 2020 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey gets final state OK

Pure Water Monterey has finally secured a critical final state approval and is poised to begin delivering potable recycled water to the Seaside basin by mid-February. After an all-day inspection of the $126 million recycled water project’s advanced water purification facility by a nine-member team on Tuesday, the state Division of Drinking Water signed off both verbally and by email.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 5, 2020 Phys.org

Vast amounts of valuable energy, nutrients, water lost in world’s fast-rising wastewater streams

Vast amounts of valuable energy, agricultural nutrients, and water could potentially be recovered from the world’s fast-rising volume of municipal wastewater, according to a new study by UN University’s Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 28, 2020 Daily Californian

Getting past wastewater’s ‘gak factor’ to save our most precious resource

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is confronting the United States’ biggest challenge in recycling municipal wastewater: the “gak” factor. It takes a lot for some people to understand the idea that recycling wastewater really does eliminate the “waste” in the water before it is ready to be reused.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 27, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

New water recycling projects will help battle Central Coast’s seawater invasion

For decades, California’s coastal aquifers have been plagued by invading seawater, turning pristine wells into salty ruins. But the state’s coastal water agencies now plan to get more aggressive in holding back the invasion by injecting millions of gallons of treated sewage and other purified wastewater deep underground.

Related article:

  • Santa Monica Daily Press: Water rates could double in five years
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 24, 2020 Coastalview.com

Opinion: Pure water for a new decade

2020 brings the start of a new decade and may also bring Carpinteria residents and businesses closer to having a new local, drought proof water supply. Exciting times!

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 22, 2020 Los Altos Town Crier

Opinion: Valley Water partners to expand water supply

Although water purified at the Silicon Valley Advanced Purification Center is not currently part of Santa Clara County’s supply of drinking water, the goal is to make that a reality within the next decade or so.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 17, 2020 City Watch LA

Ways to win the water wars

The Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, located just south of LAX, purifies water and injects it into the ground to act as a barrier between seawater and fresh groundwater. … But the idea is to one day recycle wastewater into drinking water and put it right back into the system. The industry is moving cautiously, though, given what you might call a considerable “ick” factor for the public.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 13, 2020 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey finishes key water tests, delivery date delayed again

According to Monterey One Water general manager Paul Sciuto, the best-case scenario now is the much-anticipated $126 million recycled water project would be able to start delivering water to the basin by early February, about a month later than the most recent previous estimate…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 6, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Opinion: Biochar offers possible solution to cut ag water usage

A project in the Salinas Valley aims to remove contaminants like phosphate from the water at a lower cost using much less energy. … Partnering with the city of Salinas and the wastewater treatment facility, the project aims to remove phosphates efficiently and recycle water for groundwater recharge and irrigation water to farmers.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 Nature

Opinion: Drink more recycled wastewater

Legislation needs to be implemented to lessen pollution. And all sectors — public and private — need to be educated about the importance of saving water, as does society more broadly. High on the list should be efforts to investigate the benefits and risks of drinking reused water, including ways to make it more acceptable to consumers.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 Mountain View Voice

With recycled water deal signed, attention shifts to contentious Baylands site

Hailing it as a “historic” agreement, Santa Clara County’s primary water supplier, Valley Water, enthusiastically approved on Dec. 10 a 76-year deal with Palo and Mountain View to construct a water purification plant in the Baylands with the intent of greatly expanding use of recycled water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 CALmatters

Opinion: California can solve its water shortage with the water we have. Here’s how

California is at a water crossroads. We can continue our costly, 100-year-old pattern of trying to find new water supplies, or we can choose instead to focus on smarter ways of using – and reusing – what we already have.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 2, 2020 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Pajaro Valley water project balances ag and saltwater intrusion

The nearly $4 million project, assisted with $3.4 million in state grants and a $1 million match from Pajaro Valley Water, is expected to further reduce groundwater pumping in the area, so as to halt seawater intrusion and groundwater overdraft while keeping agriculture viable in the Pajaro Valley.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 13, 2019 Phys.org

Sustainable sand pulls pollutants from stormwater

UC Berkeley engineers have developed a mineral-coated sand that can soak up toxic metals like lead and cadmium from water. Along with its ability to destroy organic pollutants like bisphenol A, this material could help cities tap into stormwater, an abundant but underused water source.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 5, 2019 Hakai Magazine

Securing SoCal water to benefit NorCal salmon

Rather than physically move water hundreds of kilometers across earthquake country between Northern California and San Bernardino, the plan involves reallocating water virtually, just as you would electronically transfer funds from one bank account to another. Once the Chino Basin Program is operational, in times of drought the southern region can draw water from the new reserve instead of from the State Water Project… That will mean water impounded by Oroville Dam can be released into the Feather River, benefitting endangered chinook.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news December 2, 2019 Monterey County Weekly

With the future of the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply—and water utility—on the line, we take a look back at how we got here

There’s a war over the future of water on the Monterey Peninsula and it’s taking place in the board chambers of half a dozen state and local government entities. It’s also taking place on social media and in the press.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 26, 2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Bi-national conference tackles border region’s water issues

A bi-national conference at San Diego State University was aimed at analyzing water resources in the Baja California and San Diego border region where challenges include cross-border pollution and water scarcity… Experts at the Reborder 2019 conference discussed ways to improve regional access to “a secure and reliable water supply” through wastewater treatment and desalination.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 22, 2019 The Capistrano Dispatch

Reservoir project in California aims to store recycled water

A reservoir and water dam project aiming to store recycled water is on track, according to water management officials. The Santa Margarita Water District gave a tour of the Trampas Canyon Reservoir and Dam on Saturday, Nov. 16. Construction began in January 2018 and is expected to finish by 2020.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 21, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

From toilets to taps: SF tests new water recycling program

Manisha Kothari looked every bit the bartender as she filled a dozen shot glasses, pouring carefully from a slender pitcher. … What Kothari, a water resource specialist, filled the glasses with looked, smelled and tasted like what comes out of any city faucet, but it had been harvested from the San Francisco water agency’s toilets, sinks and shower drains.

Related article:

  • CBS Bay Area: San Francisco recycled water program pushing wastewater towards drinkability
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 20, 2019 Santa Cruz Sentinel

Soquel Creek Water District recycled water project awarded $50M state grant

The pricetag for recycled drinking water just got less expensive for Mid-County customers. The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved a $50 million grant for Soquel Creek Water District’s pending Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Replenishment and Seawater Intrusion Prevention Project.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 19, 2019 ScienceDaily

Get over it? Study shows that, while people can come to appreciate recycled water’s benefits, they still don’t want to use it

If people are educated on recycled water, they may come to agree it’s perfectly safe and tastes as good — or better – than their drinking water. … But that doesn’t mean they’re going to use recycled water — and it sure doesn’t mean they’ll drink it. And the reason lies in the word “disgust.”

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 19, 2019 Redlands Daily Facts

Poop to power: Highland sewer plant to generate electricity, opportunity

A $32.6 million addition to a water treatment facility rising out of the ground under giant cranes will turn waste into electricity, and provide education, jobs and more to an underserved community, according to the East Valley Water District. A co-digester added to the Sterling Natural Resource Center project will turn sewage and food waste into three megawatts of power per year, enough to power about 1,950 houses.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Civil Engineering Magazine

Reuse ramps up

Although still relegated largely to populated areas in such water-challenged states as California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida, water reuse is gaining ground in other areas. At the same time, the focus of water reuse increasingly is shifting to potable applications

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Scientific American

Opinion: The EPA says we need to reuse wastewater

On September 10, 2019, at the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium in San Diego, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a draft National Water Reuse Action Plan for public comment—containing 46 proposed actions, to be accomplished by a mix of federal, state, private, local and private stakeholders, in order to promote 10 strategic objectives.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 12, 2019 Orange County Register

Orange County’s pioneering wastewater recycling system embarks on major expansion

Orange County’s wastewater recycling program, a pioneering idea that’s already touted as the largest of its type in the world, is about to get bigger. Big enough, in fact, to serve the tap water needs of about 1 million residents, according to the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 Antelope Valley Press

Rosamond treatment plant gets upgrade

The revamped and expanded plant is expected to be operational in spring 2021 and will do so with a new name — The Rosamond CSD Water Reclamation Plant — to better describe its ultimate purpose. In addition to handling the community’s wastewater disposal, the plant will recharge the underlying groundwater basin, providing additional groundwater for the District to pump.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 Patch.com

JPA formed to govern East County water purification program

The creation of the JPA marks a key milestone in moving forward the project that will create a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East San Diego County’s recycled water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 8, 2019 U.S. Green Building Council

Blog: Deploying on-site water reuse in California and nationwide

How do we mitigate the “yuck factor” that many people have about reclaimed water use, when it’s been proven safe and effective elsewhere? These concerns were discussed at GreenerBuilder 2019, USGBC’s conference in the Pacific region, hosted in San Francisco, where industry experts from across the state led a panel discussion on tactics to improve onsite water reuse.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 7, 2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego taking steps to revive landmark water recycling program amid legal dispute

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove pro-union language from contracts for Pure Water, a recycling system that would purify treated sewage into drinking water and supply one-third of San Diego’s water supply by 2035. The pro-union language had prompted a judge to issue an injunction halting the project.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 5, 2019 KSBW TV

Editorial: Desal – No sale

Now is the time to focus on Pure Water Monterey and scrap the desal plans. If 10 years from now the recycled water project doesn’t do the trick, and there’s still a need for a desal plant, we can be optimistic that future advances in technology will make any desal option more environmentally-friendly and less expensive.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news November 1, 2019 University of Southern California

Blog: Researchers discover antibiotic-resistant genes in recycled wastewater

A team led by USC Viterbi’s Adam Smith has found that purified water returned to Southern California aquifers often becomes contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a realization that could have major implications on the global water supply.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 31, 2019 Stanford School of Engineering

Q&A: How do we develop new sources of usable water?

Late last month, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $100 million research grant to the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to lead an Energy-Water Desalination Hub. Meagan Mauter explains how this very large and potentially transformative project will work, and Stanford’s role in the work.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 24, 2019 KJZZ

Scottsdale turns recycled water into drinking water

As of last month, Scottsdale’s Advanced Water Treatment Plant at the city’s water campus in north Scottsdale got permission to do something no other Arizona city can do: turn recycled water into drinking water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 16, 2019 Ventura County Star

Ventura approves $200 million wastewater recycling plan

The Ventura City Council approved a $200 million-plus plan Monday that will give the city more drinking water and greatly reduce the treated wastewater its sewer plant releases into the Santa Clara River estuary. The big-ticket item in the city’s plan is a new plant that will take wastewater that once went into the estuary and treat it to drinking water standards…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 14, 2019 Times of San Diego

Governor signs two bills crucial for San Diego’s transit and water plans

On Friday night the governor signed Assemblyman Todd Gloria’s Assembly Bill 1413, which will support local referendums on transit funding, and Assembly Bill 1290 by Gloria and Sen. Toni Atkins that clears the way for the pioneering Pure Water project.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 11, 2019 Orange County Register

Wastewater project could create drought-proof drinking water for 500,000 Southern California homes

In its effort to establish a new, drought-proof source of water that could serve a half-million Southern California homes, the Metropolitan Water District on Thursday, Oct. 10 unveiled a $17 million pilot plant that will bring wastewater to drinkable standards.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 11, 2019 Voices of Monterey Bay

Opinion: Cal Am looks to the future

While cities on the Monterey Peninsula have been working to address housing needs and the business community is actively looking to create more jobs, there is one component they all need to complete their plans – reliable, drought-proof access to water.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 9, 2019 Times of San Diego

Learn about a new source of water coming to Oceanside

The city of Oceanside is offering tours to experience Pure Water Oceanside, an innovative program that will purify recycled water to create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound. Pure Water Oceanside will produce enough water to provide more than 32% of the city’s water supply, or 3-5 million gallons per day.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 8, 2019 Business Insider

Orange County’s pure drinking water comes from filtered sewage

Whenever I visit my hometown of Orange County, California, I get to sip some of the purest drinking water in the US. The quality is sometimes hard to spot, since many drinking-water contaminants are odorless, tasteless, and invisible to the human eye. Even in cities where the water is contaminated with lead, residents have reported that their taps are crystal clear. But in Orange County, the water is actually as clean as it looks.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 7, 2019 Monterey Herald

Pure Water Monterey project nears finish line with ceremony

The project is the first of its kind to tap agricultural run-off among a variety of wastewater sources for conversion into potable, drinking water that would represent about a third of the Monterey Peninsula’s new drinking water supply.

Related article:

  • KSBW: Pure Water Monterey Project is the largest new water supply on the Monterey Peninsula
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 Santa Barbara Independent

Montecito takes a step toward recycled water

On the heels of a severe drought and years of water rationing, a longstanding plan to provide recycled water for the vast lawn at the Santa Barbara Cemetery is finally gaining some momentum. At a joint committee meeting this week, members of the Montecito Water and Sanitary District boards and staffs tentatively agreed to collaborate on recycled water for the cemetery…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 Voices of Monterey Bay

Opinion: Public water now

Over 30 years, Cal Am’s Desal would cost $1.2 billion while the Pure Water Monterey expansion would be only $190 million. But the cost in dollars is not the only comparison that should be made. The environmental cost comparison is also dramatic.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 Sacramento News & Review

Blog: Facing the forever drought

California isn’t in an official drought and under mandatory water conservation, but climate change means that saving water is always crucial. That’s why a recent announcement should not go unnoticed: The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District won state approval to deliver recycled water to agricultural and habitat conservation land in the southern part of the county.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 Antelope Valley Press

Recycled water contract extended

The Palmdale Water District extended its contract with the Los Angeles County Sanitation District 20 for recycled water, as projects for this water have been delayed for circumstances beyond their control.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 30, 2019 Paso Robles Daily News

Templeton Community Services District celebrates new drought-resistant water supply project

The project, called the Upper Salinas River Basin Conjunctive Use Project, captures existing wastewater flows generated within the eastside of the District and will return these flows back to the Meadowbrook Wastewater Treatment Plant. The wastewater undergoes treatment and is then discharged into the river alluvium that contains the Salinas River underflow providing subsequent conveyance to district wells…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Western Water September 26, 2019 Gary Pitzer California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Often Short of Water, California’s Southern Central Coast Builds Toward A Drought-Proof Supply
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Water agencies in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo counties look to seawater, recycled water to protect against water shortages

The spillway at Lake Cachuma in central Santa Barbara County. Drought in 2016 plunged its storage to about 8 percent of capacity.The southern part of California’s Central Coast from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County, home to about 1.5 million people, is blessed with a pleasing Mediterranean climate and a picturesque terrain. Yet while its unique geography abounds in beauty, the area perpetually struggles with drought.

Indeed, while the rest of California breathed a sigh of relief with the return of wet weather after the severe drought of 2012–2016, places such as Santa Barbara still grappled with dry conditions.

  • Read more
Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 Palo Alto Online

Palo Alto looks to sell, treat — and possibly ask people to drink — wastewater

In an effort to open the spigot on recycled water in the region, Palo Alto and Santa Clara Valley Water are exploring a deal that would send the city’s wastewater to a treatment plant elsewhere in the county, where it would be treated, transformed into potable water and potentially resold to the city for its residents and businesses.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 MyValleyNews.com

Rancho Water wins $1.7 million in competitive USBR grant to expand recycled water projects

Rancho California Water District was one of only five communities in California, Hawaii and Texas to win a competitive grant from the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The district will receive $1,727,960 to fund the extension of their recycled water pipeline in parts of Temecula and Murrieta.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 18, 2019 Voice of San Diego

A brief history of Pure Water’s pure drama

After years of scientific progress, regulatory wrangling, political ups and downs, and searching for the money, San Diego is getting ready to get to work on a multi-part, multibillion-dollar project that will eventually provide a third of the city’s drinking water.

Related article:

  • San Diego County Water Authority: Blog: WateReuse Symposium showcases San Diego’s Pure Water
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 16, 2019 Somach Simmons & Dunn

Blog: State Water Board authorizes major recycled water project

Efforts to increase recycled water use in California got a significant boost this week with the State Water Board’s issuance of an order authorizing the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District’s program to deliver an average of 45 million gallons per day of recycled water from the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant …

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 Torrance Daily Breeze

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Southern California water agency approves $5 million for stormwater pilot

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday, Sept. 10, approved $5 million for a stormwater pilot project to determine the best and most efficient way to capture the tens of billions of gallons of rainwater that flow off roofs and pavement each year.

Related article:

  • MyNewsLA.com: MWD to assess supply potential of stormwater capture
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 Davis Enterprise

Opinion: Residential graywater for outdoor irrigation

Residential graywater offers up a huge potential for our city to offset potable water use. When the next drought rolls around, and it will, we could be sitting pretty with healthy trees and landscapes using less water from the Sierra than we do now.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 10, 2019 Davis Enterprise

Opinion: Residential graywater for outdoor irrigation

When the next drought rolls around, and it will, we could be sitting pretty with healthy trees and landscapes using less water from the Sierra than we do now. How could we accomplish this? The answer is graywater, defined in California as the discharge from laundry wash water, showers, and bathroom sinks.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 9, 2019 Voice of San Diego

New state bill would require union-friendly terms for Pure Water project

To end a labor dispute that’s halted work on one of the largest and most important water projects in San Diego history, Assemblyman Todd Gloria rolled out a bill Friday to require union-friendly terms for work on the project.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news September 9, 2019 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Ukiah’s wastewater no longer being wasted

The city of Ukiah made its first delivery of recycled water through its extensive Purple Pipe system this week, putting about 2 million gallons of water reclaimed from local sinks, showers and toilets into an irrigation pond just south of the Ukiah Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 30, 2019 The Confluence

Blog: Improved oxidation is water wizardry against drought

Increasingly, California’s water will come from transforming the water we flush down our toilets, sinks, and washing machines into sparkling, pure water. Indeed, potable water reuse seems like a no-brainer. So why don’t we do it? In some places, we already do, and those places have lessons for the rest of the state and beyond.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 30, 2019 Water News Network

Blog: California moves to boost recycled water

A new plan recommends four strategies to advance water reuse in California over the next three decades – an important part of both the state and regional water resilience portfolio.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 29, 2019 Monterey County Weekly

Seaside wants to take golf course irrigation water and earmark it for housing

Under the plan, Seaside’s Bayonet & Black Horse golf course would stop pumping the 450 acre-feet of drinking water it draws every year from the area’s underground basin. Instead, the greens would get irrigated using recycled water produced by Pure Water Monterey, the advanced sewage treatment facility in Marina that is slated to open this fall. The water that stays in the basin would be made available to developers who want to build in Seaside.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 29, 2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Escondido hires firm to plan reverse osmosis water treatment plant

Escondido is moving forward on a reverse osmosis treatment facility that will reduce the city’s wastewater and also provide more recycled water for agricultural use. The project will divert millions of gallons of water from the discharge pipeline, and turn it into highly treated irrigation water. It’s expected to begin construction in early 2020…

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 26, 2019 Tri County Sentry

Planning Commission receives report about programmatic water master plan

Oxnard Assistant Public Works Director Tien Ng presented the item and said the city wants to integrate the water, wastewater recycled water and stormwater while looking for opportunities to align projects on the same street. They want to do them at the same time. Doing this enhances the schedule and cost for such projects.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 22, 2019 Antelope Valley Press

Recycled water plan moves forward

Officials are proceeding with a project to bring recycled water further into Palmdale for irrigation use, but have had to change direction in terms of securing financing.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 20, 2019 Monterey Herald

Marina Coast sues Monterey County, Cal Am over desal plant approval

Arguing that Monterey County officials improperly ignored new groundwater impact information and a viable, even preferable recycled water alternative, Marina Coast Water District has sued the county and California American Water over the county’s narrow approval of Cal Am’s desalination plant permit.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 19, 2019 Noozhawk

Goleta Water District updates permit to sell recycled water to ag users

The Goleta Water District has updated its recycled water permitting so it can now sell to agricultural customers, although not many of them are interested in buying.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news August 6, 2019 Napa Valley Register

Coombsville getting a filling station for recycled water

Rural Coombsville is getting a filling station — not for gasoline, but recycled water. This station will dispense cleaned-up water from the Napa Sanitation District sewage treatment plant. People will be able to sign up, pull up and fill up.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • next ›
  • last »

Water Academy

  • Agriculture
  • Background Information
  • Bay-Delta
  • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
  • Environmental Issues
  • Leaders and Experts
  • Regions
  • Rivers
  • Water Issues
  • Water Quality
  • Water Supply and Management
    • Acre Foot
    • Aquifers
    • California Water Plan
    • Conjunctive Use
    • Desalination
    • Gray water
    • Groundwater
    • Integrated Regional Water Management
    • Recreation
    • Surface Water
    • Water Marketing and Banking
    • Water Rates
    • Water Recycling
    • Water Supply
    • Water Transfers
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Water Education Foundation

Copyright © 2021 Water Education Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885.

Privacy Policy

Donor Privacy Policy

  • Read more
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Contact Information

1401 21st Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, California 95811

Telephone (916) 444-6240
Fax (916) 448-7699

Contact Us via our website

  • Read more

Quicklinks

Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Donate Today

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Tours

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Newsletter Signup

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Foundation News

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Calendar

  • Read more

Log in

  • Create new account
  • Request new password

Commands

  • Support portal
  • Log in