Santee, Cali., Dec. 22, 2015 -- Padre Dam Municipal Water District hosted the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board’s December meeting, including panel discussion on A Pathway to Sustainable Water Supply. Padre Dam’s General Manager Allen Carlisle was one of the panelists who discussed the benefits of converting wastewater currently being discharged into the ocean into a high quality, reliable drinking water supply.
Other panelists included State Senator Robert Hertzberg, Toby Roy from the San Diego County Water Authority, John Helminski from the City of San Diego, Betty Burnett from South Orange County Wastewater Authority and Dr. Shane Trussell P.E. of Trussell Technologies. The panel discussed and answered Board questions regarding environmental benefits, energy needs, cost balancing and regulation challenges. Board members and attending members of the public were offered a guided tour of Padre Dam’s Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility after the panel discussion.
The San Diego Board responded positively to the panel members and requested written comments from the agencies on what assistance the Board may offer to help move sustainable water projects forward.
Allen Carlisle, CEO and General Manager of Padre Dam said, “Padre Dam was pleased to host the San Diego Water Board and participate in the sustainable water supplies panel. Our Advanced Water Purification Program will provide a new local, sustainable water supply delivering up to 30 percent of our drinking water supply. This panel provided a great venue for Padre Dam and other agencies to discuss future projects and the elements necessary to make these projects successful. We look forward to continuing our discussions with the Regional Board and working together to ensure a sustainable water supply future for East County.”
About the East County Advanced Water Purification Program
The Advanced Water Purification Program will create a new, local, sustainable and drought proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East County’s recycled water. This water recycling opportunity would diversify East County’s water supply and reduce our dependence on imported water. Since April of 2015, Padre Dam has been operating a one-year Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility that purifies 100,000 gallons of water each day for testing purposes only. If the program moves forward, it will meet approximately 25-30 percent of East County’s current drinking water demands. The program provides numerous benefits and serves as a model of sustainable water supply planning for other water agencies throughout California and the nation.
Padre Dam has been in the forefront of water recycling for more than 50 years. Instead of treating and disposing wastewater into the ocean, Padre Dam has successfully given new life to hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater to use for purple pipe landscaping and to fill Santee Lakes. East County is ready to take the next step. By using our decades-old water treatment knowhow and the newest technology available, we are able eliminate the need to discharge our wastewater into the ocean and instead, use it to create a safe, drought-proof, locally controlled drinking water supply
For more information about the program or to schedule a tour of the Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility, please visit www.PadreDam.org.
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 imports 100% of our drinking water supply and treats two million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at our Water Recycling Facility. Please visit www.padredam.org for more information.
