Rob Ford was watering his hay last October at his small Washington County, Utah, ranch when he realized the flow was weaker than usual. He called the irrigation manager who monitors the water levels.
“The water is really weak,” Ford said he told the irrigation manager. “Is that about what we are expecting today?”
Design is underway on the $500-million Donald C. Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility, one of the largest potable reuse projects in the country.
Led by LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) and the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (LADWP), the facility will be constructed via progressive design-build, with Jacobs serving as the lead contractor.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility is the California Water Environment Association statewide 2022 Plant of the Year. The award was presented April 19 at CWEA’s Annual Conference in San Diego.
The award acknowledges the facility’s accomplishments to increase water supply reliability by reducing imported water demand and plant operations. In addition to the honors as California’s plant of the year, the facility received the same designation at the local level earlier this year from CWEA’s San Diego Section.
“OMWD is honored to be selected as the Plant of the Year by CWEA in the statewide competition,” said Board President Christy Guerin. “The 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year, and this award recognizes the plant’s long-standing contribution to the communities we serve by producing a drought-resilient, sustainable water supply.”
Today, @cwea presented the statewide 2022 Plant of the Year Award to OMWD’s 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility. The award acknowledges accomplishments in the wastewater industry and wastewater treatment to public health and the environment. https://t.co/oSsLKERjWV pic.twitter.com/tkG52aLmTB
— Olivenhain MWD (@OMWD) April 19, 2023
The water district serves up to 15% of its overall demand from recycled water treated through its 4S Ranch facility and agreements with neighboring recycled water providers. As California’s water supply becomes more affected by unpredictable swings in weather, so does the need for innovative and diversified approaches to help reduce demand for valuable drinking water supply.
OMWD provides and distributes recycled water for non-potable uses in portions of its service area for landscape irrigation at schools, parks, golf courses, streetscapes, and homeowner association common areas.
OMWD serves up to 15% of its overall demand from recycled water treated through its 4S Ranch facility and agreements with neighboring recycled water providers. Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
CWEA’s award program recognizes professional achievements within the wastewater industry and stimulates public awareness of the importance of wastewater treatment to public health and the environment. 4S WRF operators maintain over 85 miles of sewer collection system pipelines, lift stations, a 410-acre-foot storage pond, and a one-million-gallon reservoir to provide wastewater and recycled water services.
Founded in 1927, the California Water Environment Association is a not-for-profit association of 9,000-plus professionals in the wastewater industry. The association trains and certifies wastewater professionals, disseminates technical information, and promotes sound policies to benefit society through the protection and enhancement of our water environment.
(Editor’s note: The Olivenhain Municipal Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Colorado River water from Lake Mead makes its way to Southern California through the California River Aqueduct.
Once this water arrives in Lake Mathews, it’s then distributed to a water treatment plant owned by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
While drought conditions have improved on the Central Coast following our wet winter —saving water is still a priority. That’s why the city of Soledad is getting creative when it comes to how they water their public sports fields and parks.
Soledad is using a $16 million state grant to build a pipe system from their wastewater treatment plant to deliver recycled water to public fields across town. The city made history a few years back with the construction of a wind turbine that powers the treatment plant Their newest accomplishment comes in the form of purple pipes.
A recent upgrade to a Helix Water District treatment plant saved money for its ratepayers while ensuring a continued supply of high quality drinking water. After 20 years of service, the ozone disinfection system at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant needed an upgrade.
A recent upgrade to a Helix Water District treatment plant saved money for its ratepayers while ensuring a continued supply of high quality drinking water.
After 20 years of service, the ozone disinfection system at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant needed an upgrade. The projected cost of outsourcing the work needed came to $3.5 million. Instead, Helix staff at the plant proposed doing the work themselves – and they did – saving an estimated 70% after the work was completed for $1.1 million.
“With infrastructure projects, we always start with two questions,” said Helix Water District General Manager Brian Olney. “Do we replace it or can we rehabilitate it? And, is it better to outsource the work or do it in-house? These two questions saved our customers millions of dollars this year and are a good example of how we continuously look for ways to save our customers money.”
The Helix Water District uses ozone generators to reduce the use of chlorine as a primary disinfectant. Ozone inactivates a wide range of microorganisms, needs little contact time with the water, and it eliminates most of the odor and taste issues some people associate with tap water. Photo: Helix Water District
Water treatment is a multi-step process. First, organic material suspended in the water is removed. Water is then disinfected to remove or inactivate harmful microscopic organisms. Finally, the water is filtered.
Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant at conventional water treatment plants. The Helix Water District uses ozone as its primary disinfectant, supplemented with chlorine. Ozone inactivates a wide range of microorganisms, needs little contact time with the water, and it eliminates most of the odor and taste issues some people associate with tap water. This mix maintains the quality of the water while it makes its way through the water distribution system.
The treatment plant uses an ozone generator, which produces ozone by applying high amounts of electricity to oxygen gas. The oxygen molecules (O2) split and regroup as ozone (O3). The ozone gas then bubbles up through the water to inactivate any microorganisms present.
Helix maintenance staff worked closely with the manufacturer of its original ozone system installed in 2002. The same manufacturer supplied new hardware and electrical components required for the upgrade. The ozone disinfection system includes the gas feed systems, generators, power supply units, and the instrumentation hardware and software controlling the system.
The project began with a proof-of-concept pilot project two years ago. Once the methods were tested, each of the three ozone generators was upgraded with the new technology, then tested and commissioned.
In addition to the 70% estimated cost savings from the upgrade project, the improved efficiencies of the ozone generators will produce long-term cost savings.
The ozone generators and their power supply units are now fully upgraded thanks to the efforts of the Helix team. The last phase of the project is the replacement of the computer control system, which is scheduled for 2024.
(Editor’s Note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego region.)
The San Diego County Water Authority’s Pipeline 5 will be returned to full service after five months of rehabilitation work that runs from April 16 through April 25. The work is necessary to extend the useful life of critical water infrastructure that delivers reliable supplies for the region.
The Water Authority and its member agencies are coordinating to minimize impacts to residents and businesses, while servicing pipelines that are more than 65 years old.
A new recycled water pipeline in Encinitas is helping to reduce the region’s dependence on imported water supply. The Olivenhain Municipal Water District, or OMWD, constructed the Manchester Avenue Recycled Water Pipeline Project to expand the availability of recycled water within the City of Encinitas.
Santa Monica has been using a pioneering water recycling facility since November to capture rain and store it underground for future use. As Southern California has been experiencing seemingly constant rainfall, the city has been capturing stormwater, urban runoff, and municipal wastewater and purifying it for potable reuse. This first-of-its-kind facility is located beneath a parking lot and features a 1.5-million-gallon stormwater harvesting tank and a one-million-gallon-per-day advanced water treatment facility. The recycled water can be used for irrigation, toilet flushing in buildings that have dual plumbing, and to recharge groundwater aquifers.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
