Reclaimed Water Has a New Home

An old reservoir in Santa Ana is getting a second life supplying reclaimed water for industrial use in five cities, a modest project that officials say indicates the future of water use in Orange County.

The Orange County Water District bought the 6-million gallon reservoir from Santa Ana for $5 million and spent an additional $1 million and 18 months refurbishing it. It will add about 350 million gallons a year to the water available to the Green Acres Project, which supplies 40 businesses in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Santa Ana.

The water is not suitable for drinking but is pure enough for watering lawns and for some commercial applications.

“In the past we’ve had to limit the amount that goes to customers or draw well water to augment our supply,” said Ron Wildermuth, spokesman for the county water district. “We can’t build another massive water project in the state for several reasons, including the fact that all the economically feasible rivers have already been dammed and the environmental challenges of laying out a new canal would be enormous. The future of water in Orange County is going to be oriented toward local smaller projects, including water efficiencies, water transfers and reuse.”

With the extra water, the Green Acres Project now will be able to operate around the clock and set aside water for peak demand periods such as hot summer nights, when much landscape irrigation is done, Wildermuth said.

Under the Green Acres Project, which started in 1991, household waste water from sinks, bathtubs and toilets is captured, purified through filtration and disinfection, and recycled at a lower cost to industrial users. “It would probably make your stomach sick if you drank it,” Wildermuth said, “but it’s perfectly safe when applied to greenbelts and golf courses.”

“Every gallon of this water used will free up a gallon of imported or ground water for household use,” Wildermuth said. “The future . . . could well involve shortages unless this kind of water reuse and water efficiency is implemented now.”

Santa Ana had used the reservoir, at Alton Avenue and Bear Street, to store drinking water. The water district’s refurbishing of the reservoir began early last year and was completed last month.

Customers said they are grateful for the project, which gives them more water at lower rates.

“It’s very important,” said Paul McNutt, maintenance supervisor at Chroma Systems in Santa Ana, which uses about 750,000 gallons of water a day--500,000 of that from Green Acres--to dye carpets in 31 vats. “The water is cheaper,” he said, “and it helps the environment. This way there will be more on hand if we need it.”

Rich Huffnagle, supervising ranger at Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Regional Park, said that by sprinkling its 160 acres every night with nutrient-rich Green Acres water, the popular recreation area can reduce its use of fertilizer that might seep into the ground and contaminate the city’s water supply.

“This way, we can water and fertilize at the same time and have green grass year-round,” he said. “And we’re not competing with households.”

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Recycling Water for Irrigation

An existing reservoir in Santa Ana will now hold 6 million gallons of reclaimed water for landscape irrigation for businesses. Water officials say the cost of reclaimed water is 80% of imported drinking water.

1. Treated wastewater from homes and business is piped to Fountain Valley treatment plant.

2. Wastewater flows into tanks; is mixed with alum to help microscopic bacteria form “clumps” that can be filtered out.

3. Water goes into tank with coal and sand filters; disinfected with chlorine to kill bacteria and viruses as it leaves tank

4. Water is stored in a chlorine solution tank for 2 hours and then to another on-site reservoir.

5. Water is pumped to Santa Ana reservoir until it’s needed for irrigation.

Source: Orange County Water District