SANTEE, CA, Sept. 29, 2014 -- In an effort to provide a potential new drought-proof, locally-controlled source of water to the city of San Diego and surrounding areas, the Padre Dam Municipal Water District's board of directors has approved an interagency agreement with the Helix Water District, City of El Cajon and County of San Diego to study the feasibility of developing its expanded East County Advanced Water Purification Program.
The study will focus on the possibility of expanding Padre Dam's Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility and proposed Advanced Water Purification Project to accommodate and treat wastewater from the other agencies' service areas in order to provide a recycled water supply for local and regional groundwater recharge, reservoir augmentation and other potable reuse opportunities. The study will be conducted by Padre Dam with assistance from Kennedy/Jenks Consultants.
Approximately 16 million gallons per day (MDG) of wastewater is currently generated in the study area with only 2 MGD of this flow treated for water reuse. The 14 MGD of wastewater not treated for reuse travels approximately 20 miles to San Diego's wastewater treatment plant, where it is treated and then discharged into the ocean.
This study will explore the possibility of expanding Padre Dam's water treatment capacity, including its Advanced Water Purification Project, to treat the wastewater otherwise being discharged into the ocean to generate a new reliable and local water supply of approximately 10 MGD for potable reuse.
The estimated cost of the study is $275,000. The four agencies will each pay $50,000 with the remaining $75,000 to be paid with a Water Recycling Facilities Planning Grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Padre Dam's Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project will begin construction this fall. The demonstration project will take recycled water through four advanced water treatment steps and will be tested daily to ensure it meets the Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board's stringent public health objectives.
See also:
"Padre Dam awards $1.5M contract for advanced water purification project"
"CA district awards design contract for advanced water purification demonstration project"
About Padre Dam
Padre Dam provides water, sewer, recycled water and recreation services to approximately 100,000 residents in East San Diego County including Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, Dehesa and Crest. The District is a public agency with policies and procedures directed by an elected five-member Board of Directors. Padre Dam’s infrastructure is worth $243 million and has an annual budget of $53 million. The District imports 100% of our treated water supply and treat two million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at our Water Recycling Facility. For more information, visit www.padredam.org.
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