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Recycled Water

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What is Recycled Water?

Treated wastewater (secondary effluent) is sent through filters to produce recycled water. The filtration or tertiary treatment process removes very fine particulate matter from the water using a type of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces liquid against a semipermeable membrane. The filtered water is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (bleach) prior to distribution. Recycled water is used mainly for irrigation of landscaping at parks, schools, the zoo, golf courses, homeowners associations, and retirement homes. Additionally, recycled water is also used at some sites for toilet flushing, dust control, and sidewalk cleaning. The recycled water distribution system uses completely separate pipelines from the City's drinking water system and is denoted by purple pipes, purple color-coded irrigation systems, and signage.

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History of Recycled Water Project Why Use Recycled Water? Landscaping with Recycled Water

After several dry years in the late 1970’s, and continued population growth in the City, analysis of the City’s water supply showed that additional water sources were needed. Recycled water was identified as a potential substitute for potable water for irrigation and other uses. The City’s Recycled Water Project was developed in two phases. Phase I was completed in July 1989, and Phase II was completed in May 1991. The total cost of the project was $15,200,000. To fund the project, the City received $7 million in low interest loans from the California State Water Resources Control Board. In October 2015, the City began distributing recycled water from the newly constructed Tertiary Treatment facility. The Tertiary Treatment facility uses ultrafiltration technology to produce high quality recycled water. The total cost of the project was $15 million. A grant was obtained through the Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management Drought Grant program in the amount of $1,045,222 to offset project costs.

Every gallon of recycled water for irrigation saves a gallon of potable water that can be used in homes and businesses. Recycled water serves an important role in the diversity of the City’s water supplies. Recycled water is used at over 50 sites throughout the City, and the annual demand for recycled water is currently 800 acre feet–approximately 700,000 gallons per day.

While recycled water can be used for various purposes, such as toilet flushing, cooling towers, and dust control, it is most commonly used for landscape irrigation. Many parks, schools, and golf courses in the City are landscaped with recycled water. Irrigating with recycled water has the added benefit of higher nutrient concentrations than potable water supplies, thus fertilizer is generally less needed.Periodic soil leaching is recommended to reduce any build up of salts. Click the links below for more information:

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Approved Uses

Recycled water can be used for so much more than irrigation!

Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, which regulates recycled water use, allows for the following uses of tertiary treated recycled water (City’s recycled water):

Irrigation of: food crops, orchards, all landscaping (residential, commercial and public), and pasture for animals.
Supply for impoundment (lakes/ponds): non-restricted recreational impoundments (swimming allowed), fish hatcheries, and landscape impoundments.
Supply for cooling or air conditioning: industrial or commercial cooling or air conditioning with cooling tower, evaporative condenser, or spraying that creates a mist
Other uses: flushing toilets and urinals, priming drain traps, industrial process water that may contact workers, structural and nonstructural fire fighting, decorative fountains, commercial laundries, consolidation of backfill material around potable water pipelines, artificial snow making, industrial boiler feed, soil compaction, mixing concrete, dust control on roads and streets, flushing sanitary sewers, and cleaning roads, sidewalks and outdoor work areas.

The City’s policy, in accordance with State law, is to require recycled water for irrigation for properties adjacent to recycled water main lines, including: multiple family developments, developments with common area irrigated lots, and commercial developments (City Municipal Code 14.23.010-14.23.030.) All other uses, such as single family residences parcels adjacent to the recycled water system, are encouraged but not required to use recycled water on their sites. Incentives to use recycled water include exemption from buy-in fees and much lower per unit cost than potable water.

The City has staff available to help users apply for recycled water use. There are plan specifications that must be followed for recycled water, a user agreement that must be recorded, and other review requirements and site inspections that all sites must go through before the recycled water meter is issued. Please call (805) 897-2672 for more information.

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