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Sanitation Districts
of Los Angeles County
Wastewater Facilities
1955 Workman Mill Road
P.O.Box 4988
Whittier, CA 90607
Phone: (562) 699-7411,
ext. 2301

Current Water Reuse Summary

Water Reclamation Activities

The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Sanitation Districts) operate 11 wastewater treatment facilities (Figure 1), ten of which are classified as water reclamation plants (WRPs). These facilities serve approximately five million people in 78 cities and unincorporated county areas within Los Angeles County. Effluent quality from the WRPs range from undisinfected secondary to coagulated, filtered, disinfected tertiary. During Fiscal Year 2007-08 (FY 07-08), Sanitation Districts’ facilities produced an average of 478.59 million gallons per day (MGD), or 536,278 acre-feet per year (AFY) of effluent, which is a decrease of 1.6% from the preceding fiscal year, and a 10.7% decrease from the historic peak of FY 89-90. Following this peak, total average effluent flow had decreased by 11% to 477.36 MGD (534,906 AFY) in FY 91-92 as a result of widespread water conservation in response to a drought-induced, statewide water crisis, as well as an economic recession. After the drought ended in 1992, overall effluent flows increased, due in part to population growth, a healthier economy, and the easing of conservation measures in response to the improved statewide water supply situation. Total effluent flow peaked again in 1998 due to the extremely heavy, El Niño generated rainfall. Since 1999, total flow production has resumed decreasing despite population growth in the Sanitation Districts’ service area. This most recent decrease in effluent production is a result of increasing water conservation efforts (low flow toilets, water efficient washing machines, etc.) due to a three-year state-wide drought and a faltering national economy. Effluent production at Sanitation Districts’ facilities is currently at 1983 levels.

Figure 1
Location of Districts' Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Capacity at the ten Sanitation Districts’ water reclamation facilities is now 251.8 MGD (282,154 AFY). However, of the total effluent produced, only 172.22 MGD (192,983 AFY) consisted of recycled water suitable for reuse (68.4% of capacity). This amount is 36.0% of the total amount of effluent produced, a decrease of 1.6% from the preceding fiscal year. The remaining 306.36 MGD (343,296 AFY) was effluent discharged to the ocean from the Sanitation Districts’ Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP) in the City of Carson.

The Sanitation Districts have made efforts over the past four-and-a-half decades to divert high quality wastewater flows away from directo oean disposal to the upstream WRPs, which provide recycled water supplies for eventual reuse, as illustrated in Figure 2 (date through the end of calendar year 2007). Discharge to the ocean (lower band on graph) has steadily decreased since the WRPs in the Los Angeles Basin (i.e., the Joint Outfall System, or JOS) were built in the early 1970s, while additional needed treatment capacity has been added to the WRPs (the upper two bands on the graph). Significant drops in effluent production occurred in 1977 and 1991 in response to serious droughts. The majority of these decreases came from the JWPCP, while the upstream WRPs were able to maintain a relatively high level of production, which led to recycled water’s reputation as being “drought-proof.” The center band represents the recycled water produced by the WRPs that is being put to beneficial use, while the upper band represents the remaining recycled water that is currently being discharged to rivers, but has the potential to be beneficially reused.

Figure 2
Joint Outfall System Flow Diversion to Reclamation
1928-2007

Of the total amount of recycled water produced, 75.80 MGD (84,940 AFY) was actively reused for a variety of applications including urban landscape irrigation, agricultural irrigation, industrial process water, recreational impoundments, wildlife habitat maintenance, and groundwater replenishment. The amount of recycled water produced and reused at each of the WRPs and the percent change from the preceding fiscal year is summarized in Table 1. The amount reused was 43.9% of the recycled water produced, a 10.4% decrease from the preceding fiscal year.

During FY 07-08, 16 new landscape irrigation reuse sites began receiving Sanitation Districts’ recycled water. However, two small reuse sites that had been previously reported separately were combined together for reporting purposes, and several other sites went out of business and stopped receiving recycled water, resulting in a net increase of 13 reuse sites for the fiscal year. Several factors contributed to the decreased use of recycled water over the preceding fiscal year. First, this fiscal year saw the Los Angeles Basin experience a fairly normal rainfall season that reduced the need for recycled water for irrigation. Second, a very large user of recycled water (Blue Heron Newsprint) went out of business and stopped taking over 3 MGD of recycled water for its industrial process. And finally, deliveries of recycled water for groundwater recharge were below permitted amounts due to infrastructure issues with the San Jose Creek Outfall that limited deliveries to the San Gabriel Coastal Spreading Grounds.

Table 1
Recycled Water Produced and Reused at Water Reclamation Plants
Fiscal Year 2007 - 08

Water Reclamation Plant

Nominal Treatment Capacity (AFY)

Quanity Recycled (AFY)

Percent Change from
FY 06-07 (+/-)

Quantity Reused (AFY)

Percent Change from
FY 06-07 (+/-)

Percent of Recycled Water Used

La Cañada

225

116

8.4

116

8.4

100

Long Beach

28,015

18,177

16.8

6,349

11.4

34.9

Los Coyotes

42,020

28,959

14.5

6,768

-4.6

23.4

Pomona

14,570

9,839

-11.3

8,143

-14.5

82.8

San Jose Creek

112,055

82,593

-6.1

34,814

-14.2

42.2

Whittier Narrows

14,570

8,051

-13.5

7,547

-18.7

93.7

Valencia

24,205

18,093

-2.8

449

-9.7

2.5

Saugus

7,285

5,511

-1.6

0

0

0

Lancaster

17,930

13,171

-9.6

13,171

-9.6

100

Palmdale

16,810

9,101

-0.7

7,583

1.2

83.3

TOTAL

193,611

-6

84,940

-10.4

43.9

The amount of recycled water used for replenishment of the underground water supply can vary greatly from year to year, depending on the amount and timing of rainfall runoff, by maintenance activities in the spreading grounds, and by other factors, as illustrated by the upper bar in Figure 3. The long-term trend of recycled water usage is best represented by the increase in direct, nonpotable reuse for landscape and agricultural irrigation, industrial process supply, and environmental enhancement. The lower bar on Figure 3 shows the consistent growth of annual average daily demand for direct, nonpotable reuse through FY 07-08.

Figure 3
Direct Nonpotable Reuse
vs. Groundwater Recharge
1980-81 through 2007-08

Water Recycling Projects

In 1970, prior to the droughts of 1976-77 and 1987-92, there were six reuse customers using 21 MGD on 940 acres (consisting of both irrigable acres and recharge basins). By the end of the subject fiscal year, there were a total of 545 reuse sites on approximately 14,907 acres, utilizing approximately 1,092,360 linear feet (about 207 miles) of transmission pipelines in 29 cities. This usage includes one city employing a water truck to haul recycled water to various greenbelt areas and occasional private water trucks hauling recycled water to construction sites. Table 2 summarizes the approximate length of distribution system pipelines (where applicable), the amount of recycled water used by each of the water recycling projects (detailed in later sections), the percent change from the preceding fiscal year, and the number of new reuse sites added to that recycling project over the past fiscal year. Figure 4 shows the increase in the number of reuse sites receiving recycled water from the Sanitation Districts from 1970 to mid-2007.

Table 2
Recycled Water Used by Water Recycling Project

Fiscal Year 2005 – 06

Project Name

Pipeline Length
(linear feet)

Recycled Water Used
(AFY)

Percent Change
from
FY 04-05

(+/-)

No. of
New Reuse Sites

La Cañada-Flintridge Country

116

+8.4

Long Beach Water Department

171,900

5,107

-5.3

4

Alamitos Seawater Barrier

1,242

+307.2

City of Bellflower

1,900

48

+6.7

City of Cerritos

142,600

2,161

-1.3

2

City of Lakewood

28,300

458

-1.3

Central Basin MWD (Century)

189,900

4,101

-6.8

2

Pomona Water Department

37,000

2,173

-51.5

Spadra Landfill

578

-6.3

Walnut Valley Water District

166,320

1,301

-13.6

7

Rowland Water District

29,280

16

+220.0

Water Replenishment District

40,518

-13.7

City of Industry

44,350

960

+2.9

California Country Club

500

-3.5

Chuy’s Nursery

13

+30.0

Central Basin MWD (Rio Hondo)

95,000

269

-8.2

Puente Hills/Rose Hills

8,900

2,423

-6.7

USGVMWD Rio Hondo Extension

11,020

661

+3.0

F.L. Norman's Nursery

54

-3.6

Whittier Narrows Recreation Area

18,900

1,038

+31.7

1

Castaic Lake Water Agency

16,490

449

-9.7

Piute Pond

6,915

-25.6

Nebeker Ranch

15,900

4,946

+3.5

Apollo Lakes County Regional

23,800

245

+105.9

Eastern Agricultural Site

90,900

1,065

+182.5

Los Angeles World Airports Lease

13,200

7,583

+1.2

TOTALS

1,092,360

84,940

-10.4

16

Figure 4
Increase in Number of Reuse Sites

1970-2008

Cities with Recycled Water Sites

Bellflower

Norwalk

Bell Gardens

Palmdale

Cerritos

Paramount

Compton

Pico Rivera

Cudahy

Pomona

Diamond Bar

Rowland Heights

Downey

Santa Clarita

El Monte

Santa Fe Springs

Huntington Park

Signal Hill

Industry

South Gate

La Canada

Vernon

Lakewood

Walnut

Lancaster

West Covina

Long Beach

Whittier

Lynwood

During FY 07-08, 32.52 MGD (36,444 AFY) was used for groundwater replenishment from the San Jose Creek and Whittier Narrows WRPs. Approximately 1,416,367 acre-feet (AF) of recycled water from these two plants have been used to recharge the Central Basin aquifer since August 1962, when the Whittier Narrows WRP was commissioned, through the end of FY 07-08. Another 3.64 MGD (4,074 AFY) of effluent discharged from the Pomona WRP to the San Jose Creek Channel was credited toward indirect groundwater recharge, after estimating how much of this discharge was lost to the ocean during the winter storm season. In the past, this flow stream was not included in the total amount of recycled water used, since most of it entered groundwater via incidental recharge upstream of the spreading grounds. However, since this flow stream is credited against the allowable amount to be recharged, it has been included in the total amount of water actively reused, beginning in FY 94-95.

More recycled water is typically used for groundwater recharge (via surface spreading) than for all other applications combined because of its cost‑effectiveness. The San Jose Creek, Whittier Narrows, and Pomona WRPs discharge to rivers or creeks (i.e., flood control channels) that can convey the water by gravity to existing off‑stream recharge basins. These basins and the unlined portions of the rivers and creeks permit large volumes of recycled water to percolate by gravity into the aquifer. Recycled water used in this way incurs no additional capital improvement and related operation and maintenance (O&M) costs or any energy consumption for pumping.

There was another source of replenishment water during FY 07-08, as the Alamitos Seawater Intrusion Barrier received 1.109 MGD (1,242 AFY) of advanced treated recycled water originating from the Long Beach WRP (see details in Section 2.2.2). Even though the purpose of this facility is to prevent seawater from moving inland and contaminating the groundwater aquifer, most of the injected water (~80%) moves inland and becomes part of the region’s drinking water supply. The amount injected last year was significantly more than the preceding year due to the completion of construction activities at the WRP that had taken half of the plant’s secondary aeration systems out of service during the previous summer. However, the full capacity of the Leo Vander Lans advanced treatment plant that supplies the Alamitos Barrier still could not be realized due to peak irrigation demands by the City of Long Beach that used up most of the available effluent during the summer months.

During FY 07-08, the total of 37.17 MGD (41,760 AFY) that went to groundwater replenishment was an 11.6% decrease from the preceding fiscal year. Of the total amount of water reused during FY 07-08, 49.2% went for groundwater replenishment, which is the fifth time in history (and fifth year in a row) that this reuse application has dropped below half of total reuse, albeit only by a fraction of a percent. This was the result of elevated levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a suspected human carcinogen, in effluent from the San Jose Creek WRP that prevented that effluent source from being diverted directly into the San Gabriel Coastal Spreading Grounds, necessitating that it be discharged to the lined portion of the San Gabriel River instead. The remainder of the recycled water usage was divided between four broad categories of direct usage:

  • A total of 515 of the individual reuse sites used recycled water for some form of landscape irrigation, and approximately15.605 MGD (17,534 AFY), or 20.7% of the total water reused, went toward this application. These sites include 101 parks, 96 schools, 134 commercial and office buildings (e.g., police station, post office, libraries, landfills, etc.), 91 roadway greenbelts, 24 public facilities (e.g., police station, post office, libraries, landfills, etc.), 20 golf courses, 17 nurseries, 16 residential developments, nine churches, and seven cemeteries.
  • Agricultural usage at 10 reuse sites accounted for approximately 13.288 MGD (14,931 AFY), or 17.6% of the total reused.
  • Fifteen industrial applications of recycled water (which include carpet dyeing, paper manufacturing, oil field injection, power plant cooling towers, and construction applications such as dust control and concrete mixing) totaled 3.279 MGD (3,685 AFY), or 4.3% of the total reused.
  • Approximately, 6.155 MGD (6,915 AFY), or 8.2% of the total reused, went to environmental enhancement of a wildlife habitat (Piute Ponds) in the Mojave Desert.

Table 3 lists the number of sites in each category of use, along with total acreage and average daily usage. Figure 5 shows the distribution of reuse flows among these various applications.

Table 3
Categories of Recycled Water Usage

Fiscal Year 2004-05

Reuse Application

No. of Sites

Area Applied
(acres)

Usage
(MGD)

Parks

101

3,101.8

4.306

Golf Courses

20

2,263.8

4.323

Schools

96

1,125.3

1.936

Roadway Greenbelts

91

612.6

0.906

Public Facilities1

24

492.7

1.095

Commercial Buildings2

134

396.2

0.974

Nurseries

17

121.8

0.201

Cemeteries

7

1284.4

1.528

Residential

16

114.2

0.289

Churches

9

11.7

0.048

Industrial3

15

157.5

3.279

Agriculture4

10

4,179.0

13.288

Environmental

1

400

6.155

SUBTOTAL

541

14,261.0

38.328

Groundwater Recharge

4

646

37.166

TOTAL

545

14,907.0

75.494

NOTES:

1. “Public Facilities” includes police stations, libraries, post offices, city halls, government offices, landfills, etc.

2. “Commercial Buildings” includes offices, warehouses, retail, car dealerships, hotels, restaurants, etc.

3. Industrial processes receiving recycled water include paper manufacturing, carpet dyeing, concrete mixing, cooling, oil field injection, construction applications such as soil compaction and dust control, and process equipment testing at the Alamitos Barrier Advanced Treatment Plant.

4. California Polytechnic University, Pomona, while technically a school, uses most of its recycled water for agricultural purposes and is thus included in this category.

Figure 5
Distribution of Recycled Water Usage

Fiscal Year 2007-08

At the end of FY 07-08, the Sanitation Districts had 23 contracts (one currently inactive, four pending initial deliveries) for the sale and/or delivery of recycled water produced at its facilities. Actual O&M and energy costs incurred by the Sanitation Districts while operating the pump stations on behalf of the purchasers of recycled water are also fully recovered through these contracts. Since the recycled water delivered to the various distribution systems was not dosed with either sulfur dioxide or sodium bisulfate for dechlorination or with defoamant, an estimated $257,630 in chemical savings was realized at the five Sanitation Districts’ tertiary WRPs located in the JOS and at the Valencia WRP in the Sanitation Districts’ Santa Clarita Valley Joint Sewerage System (SCVJSS). The preceding year’s reported chemical savings of $79,800 was a miscalculation; the actual chemical savings in FY 06-07 was $158,070. The increase in chemical savings over the preceding year was due mostly to significant increases in chemical costs.

Table 4 compares selected potable water rates and recycled water rates (in effect as of the end of FY 07-08), illustrating the savings realized by the end users. Table 5 lists all of the current recycled water purveyors.

Table 4
Potable vs. Recycled Water Rates
Fiscal Year 2006-07

Purveyor

Potable Water
($/AF)

Recycled Water
($/AF)

Discount
(%)

Long Beach Water Department

796.71

398.36 – 557.70

30 - 50

City of Cerritos

614.20

326.70

47

City of Lakewood

775.37

444.31

43

Central Basin MWD

557.00

259.00 – 386.00

31 - 54

Pomona Water Department

1,062.94

449.96

58

Walnut Valley Water District

762.30

647.96

15

Rowland Water District

653.40 – 871.12

557.57

15 – 36

San Gabriel Water Company

681.93

220.00 – 579.65

15 – 68

Valencia Water Company

480.03

403.37

16

Table 5
Recycled Water Purveyors

City of Long Beach
1800 East Wardlow Road
Long Beach, CA 90807-4994
(562) 570-2300

City of Paramount
16400 Colorado Avenue
Paramount, CA 90723
(562) 220-2020

Central Basin Municipal Water District
6252 Telegraph Road
Commerce, CA 90040-2512
(323) 201-5555

City of Cerritos
Bloomfield at 183rd Street
Cerritos, CA 90701

(562) 860-0311

City of Santa Fe Springs
11710 Telegraph Road
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
(562) 868-0511

Park Water Company
9750 Washburn Road
Downey, CA 90241

(562) 923-0711

City of Lakewood
5050 North Clark Avenue
Lakewood, CA 90714
(562) 866-9771

City of Downey
9252 Stewart & Gray Road
Downey, CA 90242

(562) 904-7202

Bellflower Municipal Water Systems
16913 Lakewood Blvd.
Bellflower, CA 90706

(562) 531-1500

City of Bellflower
16600 Civic Center Drive
Bellflower, CA 90706
(562) 804-1424

City of Whittier
13250 East Penn Street
Whittier, CA 90602

(562) 945-8215

Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Co.
10016 Flower Street
Bellflower, CA 90706

(562) 866-9980

City of Industry
P.O. Box 3366
Industry, CA 91744
(626) 333-2211

City of South Gate
4244 Santa Ana Street
South Gate, CA 90280
(323) 563-5795

Golden State Water Company
11469 Rosecrans Avenue
Norwalk, CA 90650
(562) 907-9200

City of Pomona
505 South Garey Avenue
Pomona, CA 91766

(909) 620-2253

City of Lynwood
11330 Bullis Road
Lynwood, CA 90262
(562) 603-0220

San Gabriel Valley Water Company
11142 Garvey Avenue
El Monte, CA 91733

(626) 448-6183

City of Cudahy
5220 Santa Ana Street
Cudahy, CA 90201

(323) 773-5143

City of Norwalk
12700 Norwalk Boulevard
Norwalk, CA 90650

(562) 929-2677

City of Huntington Park
6900 Bissell Street
Huntington Park, CA 90255
(323) 584-6323

Walnut Valley Water District
271 South Brea Canyon Road
Walnut, CA 91789

(909) 595-7554

Rowland Water District
3021 S. Fullerton Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(562) 697-1726

Upper San Gabriel Valley MWD
11310 East Valley Boulevard
El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 423-2297

City of Pico Rivera
6615 Passons Boulevard
Pico Rivera, CA 90660-1016
(562) 801-4462

Castaic Lake Water Agency
27234 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
(661) 297-1600

Valencia Water Company
24631 Avenue Rockefeller
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 294-0828

City of Vernon
4305 Santa Fe Avenue
Vernon, CA 90058
(323) 583-8811

To put things into perspective, the 84,940 AF of water reused in FY 07-08 is equivalent to the water supply for a population of 424,700, nearly the size of Virginia Beach, VA (the 38th largest city in the U.S., according to 2000 census figures). The use of locally produced recycled water reduces the need to pump State Project water over the Tehachapi Mountains at a net energy cost of 3,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per acre‑foot (Source: “Refining Estimates of Water-Related Energy Use in California,” California Energy Commission, December 2006). Thus, approximately 254.8 million kWh of electricity were conserved in FY 07-08, which is equivalent to the annual output of a 29.1-megawatt power plant consuming almost 138,100 barrels of oil. At $0.15/kWh (based on Southern California Edison residential billing rate), this equates to an annual savings of $38.2 million in electricity. At $138.55/barrel (June 6, 2008 spot price for “West Texas Intermediate crude oil”), this equates to an annual savings of nearly $19.1 million in oil.

The conservation of fossil fuels and energy also resulted in significant reductions in potential air pollutants.During FY 07-08, 146.5 tons of nitrogen oxide, 25.5 tons of carbon monoxide, 15.3 tons of sulfur oxides, 5.1 tons of particulates, and 1.3 tons of reactive organic gases were kept out of the atmosphere (Source: “Power Plant Fuel Use and Emissions,” South Coast Air Quality Management District, May 1986). Perhaps more important, the use of local recycled water avoided the production of over 191,000 tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming (Source: “Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume 1: Stationary Point and Area Sources,” USEPA, January 1995).

Table 6 summarizes the water, energy, chemicals, and air pollutant savings realized by the use of local recycled water sources.

Table 6
Water, Energy, Chemical and Air Pollutant Savings from Recycled Water Usage
Fiscal Year 2007-08

Category

Units

Savings

Water Supply

Acre-feet

84,940

Water Supply

No. of People

424,700

Energy

Kilowatt-hours

254,820,000

Energy

Megawatts

29.1

Energy

Barrels of oil

138,088

Electricity

Dollars

38,223,000

Petroleum

Dollars

19,132,092

WRP chemicals

Dollars

257,630

Nitrogen oxide

Tons

146.5

Carbon monoxide

Tons

25.5

Sulfur oxides

Tons

15.3

Particulates

Tons

5.1

Reactive organic gases

Tons

1.3

Carbon dioxide

Tons

191,115

FACTS-AT-A-GLANCE
FY 07-08

Sanitation Districts
Total Effluent Produced: 478.59 MGD (
536,278 AFY), 1.6% decrease
Total Recycled Water Produced
: 172.22 MGD (192,983 AFY), 68.4% of capacity, 36.0% of the total produced, 1.6% decrease
Total Recycled Water Used: 75.80 MGD (84,940 AFY), 43.9% of recycled water produced, 10.4% decrease, 545 sites (net increase of 13)

Groundwater replenishment (4) -37.17 MGD (41,760 AFY) 49.2% of total reuse 11.6% decrease
Landscape irrigation (515)
- 15.605 MGD (17,534 AFY)20.7% of total reuse 5.8% decrease
Agriculture (10)
- 13.288 MGD (14,931 AFY)17.6% of total reuse 5.8% increase
Industrial (15)
- 3.279 MGD (3,685 AFY) 4.3% of total reuse 33.9% decrease
Environmental (1)
- 6.155 MGD (6,915 AFY) 8.2% of total reuse 25.6% decrease

Total Reuse Since Inception: 2,236,405 AF (728.5 billion gallons)
Transmission lines
: 1,092,360 linear feet (206.9 miles)
Acreage Served
: 14,907 acres
Cities Served
: 29
Recycled Water Purveyors
: 28
Recycled Water Contracts
: 23
Chemical Savings
: $257,630
Greenhouse Gas Reduction
: 191,000 tons of carbon dioxide
Future Planned Reuse: 72,550 AFY (64.75 MGD)

Joint Outfall System
Total Effluent Produced: 4
38.18 MGD (490,998 AFY), 1.4% decrease
Total Recycled Water Produced: 131.45 MGD (147,703 AFY), 30.1% of the total produced, 1.0% decrease
Total Recycled Water Used: 60.46 MGD (67,936 AFY),
46.0% of recycled water produced, 6.0% decrease

Santa Clarita
Total Recycled Water Produced
: 21.01 MGD (23,603 AFY), 1.7% increase
Total Recycled Water Used: 0.400 MGD (449 AFY), 1.9% of recycled water produced, 9.7% decrease

Antelope Valley
Total Wastewater Treated
: 24.20 MGD
Total Recycled Water Produced
: 19.29 MGD (21,677 AFY), 8.7% decrease
Total Recycled Water Used: 18.47 MGD (20,755 AFY), 95.7% of recycled water produced, 5.9% decrease

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County