CA district breaks ground on advanced water purification demonstration project

SANTEE, CA, Oct. 14, 2014 -- On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Padre Dam Municipal Water District of California broke ground on its new Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project (AWPDP) in light of the state's ongoing drought and the continuous rise of imported water costs.

The project, funded through a $3-million Proposition-50 grant from the Department of Water Resources, will use advanced water purification technologies to potentially diversify East County's water supply by providing a new source of water that is safe, reliable, locally-controlled and drought-proof. The project is scheduled to begin operation in March 2015.

Padre Dam's AWPDP will take wastewater through four advanced water treatment steps -- free chlorine disinfection, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet (UV)/advanced oxidation. The demonstration project will operate for at least 12 months. During this time, it will produce approximately 100,000 gallons of purified water per day. The water will be tested daily to ensure it meets the public health objectives for California Health Department approval.

If the demonstration project is deemed successful and moves forward, the water would be injected into the Santee groundwater basin where it would be naturally filtered then withdrawn and treated again prior to distribution as drinking water. The project would have the potential to provide up to 3 million gallons of water per day (MGD).

Additionally, Padre Dam is working with Helix Water District, the city of El Cajon and the county of San Diego to study the feasibility of developing an expanded East County Advanced Water Purification Program. The study will focus on the possibility of expanding Padre Dam's AWPDP to accommodate and treat wastewater from the other agencies' service areas in order to provide a recycled water supply for local and regional groundwater recharge, reservoir augmentation and other potable reuse opportunities. This expanded program could produce up to an additional 10 MGD.

See also:

"Padre Dam to study feasibility of Advanced Water Purification Program expansion"

"Padre Dam awards $1.5M contract for advanced water purification project"

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 is a public agency with policies and procedures directed by an elected five-member Board of Directors. Padre Dam’s infrastructure is worth $243 million and has an annual budget of $53 million. The District imports 100% of our treated water supply and treat two million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at our Water Recycling Facility. For more information, visit www.padredam.org.

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