As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Earth Day tomorrow, the birth of the environmental movement, one major Southland water agency is making its top executives available for interviews to explain how their agency’s wastewater recycling programs, both ongoing and prospective, not only conserve water but also reduce the state’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is one of the Southland’s largest water agencies, and it is doing pioneering work to recycle billions of gallons of wastewater so it can be used one more time before being discharged into the ocean.
Water Replenishment manages the underground aquifers that supply 40 percent of the water to 4 million residential and business users in 43 South Los Angeles County cities, from Long Beach to Torrance and Whittier to Carson.
Water Replenishment’s leadership agrees with Gov. Brown that the time has come when recycling wastewater must become the rule, not the exception, to help secure California’s water future.
Water Replenishment is cworking on a project to completely end its use of imported water to refill the agency’s aquifers. In the near future, the agency will exclusively replenish its aquifers topped off with recycled wastewater.
This project will enhance Water Replenishment’s commitment to conserving water during the state’s record drought and ensure that its residential and business users will be able to turn on the tap and get the water they need far into the future.
Using recycled water also puts a big dent in the state’s carbon footprint.Importing water to the Southland requires a tremendous amount of energy.
It has been estimated that the amount of energy used by the California Water Project to deliver water to the Southland from Northern California is equal to one- third of all the household electricity consumed in Southern California.
Recycling wastewater significantly reduces the need to import water and thus cuts the energy costs of delivering water to the Southland both in dollars and in greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Schwada may be contacted at john.schwada@gmail.com
