Tag Archive for: Desalination

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees visit the Sweetwater Authority Reynolds Desalination Plant. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

Bureau of Reclamation Group Visits South Bay Water Agencies

A planning and training workshop for 100 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees in San Diego County included tours of Sweetwater Authority and Otay Water District facilities.

The Reclamation employees visited San Diego in September to participate in a planning training workshop. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have brought significant funding in support of Reclamation’s mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Planning provides critical support for Reclamation’s leadership when making investment decisions.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees share their experiences and lessons learned during their recent San Diego visit. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees share their experiences and lessons learned during their recent San Diego visit. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

The goal of this workshop was to provide training and resources for planners and project managers involved in studies to evaluate federal investments in water resources. In addition to promoting planning expertise across Reclamation, the Planning Training Workshop also served to share experiences and lessons learned with other planners and project managers.

Key topics at this event included the Federal planning process, technical, environmental, economic, and financial feasibility, and climate change. A key benefit of the trip was the opportunity to connect with regional partners, including tours of the Sweetwater Authority Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility in Chula Vista and the Otay Water District binational pipeline on the U.S./Mexico border.

Building skills and relationships

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees tour the U.S./Mexico border. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees tour the U.S./Mexico border. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

“We were thrilled to bring together so many Reclamation employees to discuss how water resources planning can help meet the increasingly challenging, complex, and diverse needs for water and power now and into the future,” said Karl Stock, manager of the Reclamation Law Administration Division.

“It was a pleasure to host such a talented team of water professionals from the Bureau of Reclamation at our award-winning Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility and share with them the critical role our facility plays in providing a drought-proof, sustainable water supply for Sweetwater Authority customers,” said Carlos Quintero, Sweetwater Authority general manager.

Bureau of Reclamation funding supports regional expansion project

The Richard A. Reynolds Desalination Facility is a state-of-the-art groundwater desalination facility Photo: Sweetwater Authority Best Tasting Water Award

The Richard A. Reynolds Desalination Facility is a state-of-the-art groundwater desalination facility Photo: Sweetwater Authority

The Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility uses reverse-osmosis treatment (R/O) to remove dissolved salts and microscopic particles, such as bacteria and other contaminants that could be found in alluvial groundwater. The R/O process water is treated to prevent corrosion and chlorine and ammonia are added to further assure disinfection.

The desalination facility began operating in 1999 drawing brackish groundwater from five wells. In 2017, the facility was expanded to include installation of three additional reverse osmosis trains, a new iron and manganese treatment system, the drilling of five new brackish groundwater wells, the installation of 23,000 feet of pipe, and additional system upgrades. The $42 million expansion project was made possible by significant grant funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the State of California.

The facility now has a full production potential of 10 million gallons of drinking water per day, enough for approximately 18,000 families, and provides Sweetwater Authority customers with about 30% of their annual water supply. The sustainable design of the plant also includes 2,950 ground-mounted solar PV panels as an alternative energy source. The solar array offsets the cost of treating water and reduces the facility’s overall carbon footprint.

(Editor’s note: The Sweetwater Authority and the Otay Water District are two of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Reliable Water Supplies Make San Diego Region Well-Prepared for 2024

October 2, 2023 – Thanks to a decades-long supply diversification strategy and continued efficient use of water across the region, the San Diego County Water Authority announced today that the region has reliable supplies to meet demands in Water Year 2024, which started Oct. 1.

Hydrologists use Oct. 1 to begin measuring the snow and rain that will help carry water users through dry summer months the following calendar year. This fall, El Niño conditions continue to strengthen and could bring above-average precipitation to Southern California. In a recent El Niño forecast by NOAA, there is a greater than 95% chance that El Niño continues across the Northern Hemisphere through the winter into 2024. The chance of a “strong” El Niño is 71%.

“San Diego County continues to have the water necessary to support our $268 billion economy and quality of life for 3.3 million residents,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority Board of Directors. “We are grateful for the reprieve from drought – but we recognize that dry times will return, probably sooner than later. We are ready when they do.”

Despite significant rain and snow over the past 12 months, longer-term trends indicate a hotter, drier Southwest climate. Across the arid Southwest, water agencies are spending billions of dollars to increase water supply reliability as they balance the costs of investments against the costs of not having enough water for homes and businesses.

Long-term investments and water-use efficiency sustain region

Since the early 1990s, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have made major investments in supply reliability, including in the landmark conservation-based 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement, which provides over half of the region’s water, the building of the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant, and in the maintaining and upgrading of water infrastructure. That strategy has paid off during dry times. Just one year ago, the situation was dramatically different in other parts of Southern California, as millions of residents were reduced to health and safety water rations – though regional investments meant the San Diego region was spared.

Compared to recent years, the new water year begins with improved supply conditions at the Water Authority’s two imported water sources – the Colorado River and the Sierra Nevada. On the Colorado River, a good water year and conservation efforts raised storage levels, prompting the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to declare that California will not face supply restrictions through 2024.

Meanwhile, in Northern California, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir – two key State Water Project reservoirs – had 2.76 million more acre-feet in storage combined at the end of August 2023 compared to the prior August. (An acre-foot is approximately 325,900 gallons, or enough water to meet the annual needs of three typical single-family households.)

In the San Diego region, water users also benefit from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, as well as increased water storage levels in many local reservoirs. At the end of August 2023, member agency local storage was up 137,400 acre-feet, or 80%, compared to the same time in 2022. Meanwhile, the Water Authority had approximately 100,000 acre-feet available in emergency and carryover storage. This represents emergency storage for up to six-months and carryover storage to minimize or avoid potential supply cutbacks during periods of drought or other supply shortage events.

For information on water-efficient programs and rebates, go to: www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.

Desalination and Future of Water Supply in Southern California

The cutting-edge world of desalination and the future of water supply in Southern California is the topic for conversation and insight from water agency officials in a new podcast. The four distinguished guests are from San Diego County Water Authority, Eastern Municipal Water District, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and South Coast Water District.

Dan Denham-desalination-water supply-podcast

Desalination and Future of Water Supply in Southern California

The cutting-edge world of desalination and the future of water supply in Southern California is the topic for conversation and insight from water agency officials in a new podcast. The four distinguished guests are from San Diego County Water Authority, Eastern Municipal Water District, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and South Coast Water District.

Learn how these projects work, their impact on California’s thirst during dry times.

From coastlines to arid inland regions, seawater and brackish water desalination projects are popping up like never before. But how do they work? What is the environmental impact? And can they really quench California’s thirst during those dry times? Are they truly drought proof?

These four are each at the helm of a water agency contributing to this critical conversation: Dan Denham, General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority; Joe Mouawad, General Manager of the Eastern Municipal Water District; David Pedersen, General Manager of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; and Rick Shintaku, General Manager of the South Coast Water District.

Watch the “What Matters Water TV + Podcast” here

A Celebrity-Studded L.A. Water District Has a Very Big Drought Idea: Seafloor Desalination

A water district best known for supplying the celebrity-studded enclaves of Calabasas and Hidden Hills could soon become famous for a very different reason.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District recently partnered with California-based OceanWell to study the feasibility of harvesting drinking water from desalination pods placed on the ocean floor, several miles off the coast of California.

Politics Report: The Real Reason the Water Agencies Are Fighting so Hard

Eleven years ago, when the San Diego County Water Authority was going through the final stages of approving what had, by that time, become a decade-long odyssey to create the first desalination plant on the West Coast, the agency made a prediction.

OC Grand Jury Report on Drought Conditions Endorses Doheny Desalination Plant, Calls for New Water Sources

South Orange County’s reliance on imported water through unsustainable sources that will be impacted by climate change must adapt, according to the Orange County Grand Jury, which endorsed desalination plants as a solution in a recent report.

Released in early June, the report highlighted the continued existence of drought conditions in the western United States, Orange County water suppliers’ need to find solutions to growing needs and potential shortages, and the importance of conservation and public education.

Water, Water Everywhere

On the beach in Southern California, it’s easy to look at the Pacific Ocean and wonder what would happen if we could drink it. It’s already happening in some places, and others from Arizona to the California coast want to expand desalination. If big cities there use more of the ocean and less of the Colorado River, would that leave more water for the southwest? Part 4 of a 10-part series.

Los Angeles County Officials Working to Lower Water Consumption

The 8 News Now Investigators ran a four-part series on the “California Water Hogs,” with a special focus on the water used to irrigate farmland in the Imperial Valley, water storage, water recycling, and desalinating seawater. However, officials in Los Angeles County said they are doing more there than people in Las Vegas might think.

As Arizona Looks to Desalination as a Drought Solution, Questions Mount

While Arizona received more rain and snow in recent months, a wet winter will not save the state from the decades-long mega-drought that is gripping the region. Water officials have worked on finding unique solutions, including desalination.