Upgraded Water Plant Being Used as Test Site

A state-of-the-art water treatment plant, which went into full operation last month after undergoing a $15-million upgrade, is now serving as a test site for the California Department of Health Services.

Located on a hill overlooking Anaheim Hills Golf Course, the city’s Lenain Water Treatment Plant uses ozone gas and a charcoal filtration system to produce water with a clarity five to 10 times greater than the national standard.

Henry Pepper, the city’s assistant general manager of water services, said the use of ozone--instead of the traditional chlorine--as a primary disinfectant is among the factors that make Lenain a good test site for the state to examine emerging water monitoring technologies.

The new monitoring devices check for minute water pollutants, such as cryptosporidium. A 1993 outbreak of this microorganism in Milwaukee sickened 400,000 people and killed more than 100.

“Ozone is the treatment of choice for cryptosporidium,” said Pepper, who noted that the process “has the effect of literally burning off any contaminants without some of the taste issues that come with chlorine.”

The treatment plant, named for former water superintendent August F. Lenain, opened in 1968 and was taken off-line in 1993 for extensive renovation.

Rebuilt in a southwestern architectural style to blend with nearby homes, the plant is designed to handle east Anaheim’s water needs well into the next century. Its ability to treat 15 million gallons of water per day is enough to meet the entire city’s water needs for a month.

Starting in May, water operations throughout Anaheim will be controlled from Lenain using a fiber-optic cable system.

Pepper said Lenain’s water compares favorably in taste with popular bottled waters and costs just one penny for seven gallons.

“And we deliver it to your tap 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” he added.