News & Publications
Water Reuse Study E-Update - February 2005
FOLLOW US ON:
- Water Department Officials Visit Sacramento Legislators
- Advanced Treatment Research Projects Fully Underway at NCWRP
- California WateReuse Conference 2005
- In the News
The Water Reuse Study team has created this "E-Update" to bring you up-to-date on Study activities and provide news about the recycled water industry. Each issue will be posted on this website. We are sending e-mail announcements of new issues to persons who have expressed an interest in the Study. If you did not receive an e-mail announcement and would like to, please join our news group. If you did receive an announcement about this issue, you are automatically in the news group.
If you are new to the Water Reuse Study, the Study Overview will provide helpful background information. The Frequently Asked Questions section contains additional material that also may be of interest.
Water Department Officials Visit Sacramento Legislators
On January 10, 2005, City Water Department officials made a trip to Sacramento to meet with San Diego's legislators, the Department of Health Services, Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board to discuss a variety of water issues. These meetings provided an opportunity for the Water Department to discuss San Diego's water supply reliability issues and inform San Diego's legislators about the Water Reuse Study.
The meetings were also used as an opportunity to seek support for the City's applications for funding through Proposition 50, which provides $3.4 billion for California water projects. The proposition is intended to support statewide activities that will enhance water supply reliability and increase the beneficial use of existing supplies. Two of the applications for Proposition 50 funds submitted by the City would pay for distribution system infrastructure for recycled water from both the North City and South Bay Water Reclamation Plants. These projects will help the City utilize more recycled water.
Advanced Treatment Research Projects fully underway at NCWRP
Three research projects for advanced treatment processes are currently up and running at the North City Water Reclamation Plant. Preliminary data from these research studies will be reviewed by the Study's Independent Advisory Panel and included in the Water Reuse Study's final report. The research will analyze steps in the advanced treatment process, which would be used as the final step for fully treated recycled water if it is used for reservoir augmentation, groundwater storage or discharge into streams.
The advanced treatment process utilizes four steps on tertiary treated recycled water to remove any remaining suspended solids and contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and most organic molecules and ions that may be in the recycled water. The four steps are: 1) microfiltration or ultrafiltration, 2) reverse osmosis, 3) advanced oxidation (which is hydrogen peroxide plus ultraviolet light), and 4) additional chlorine. One result of the research study of these advanced treatment processes will be a better understanding of the effective removal of chemical compounds that could be potentially harmful to the environment or health.
The three research projects will analyze the effectiveness of various processes:
- Reverse Osmosis Integrity will evaluate methods to monitor membrane integrity
- Long Term Reverse Osmosis will assess long-term performance of reverse osmosis
- Advanced Oxidation After Reverse Osmosis will determine the optimal dose and power requirements needed for the destruction of biologically active compounds
Reminder ... California WateReuse 2005 Conference in February
The third annual California WateReuse 2005 Conference will be held in San Diego from February 27-March 1, 2005. The focus of the 2005 forum is "'Water Recycling: Realizing California's Potential." One of the presentations at the conference will be a presentation by Ed Means of McGuire Environmental, Inc. Mr. Means facilitated the October 2004 American Assembly Workshop for the Water Reuse Study 2005 and his presentation will focus on this experience.
This conference is sponsored by the California Section of the WateReuse Association, a national organization that promotes the use of recycled water and provides a forum for professionals in the water recycling industry.
In the News
News Articles of Interest - a chronological compilation with links to articles, materials and information about recycled water and related topics. Recent additions include:
- Southern California storms are good news in the Sierra (PDF)
- Klamath region grows more desperate: Paltry snowfall may lead to conflicts over water (PDF)
Be sure to visit these and other areas of our website
- Speakers Bureau information - how to contact the Study team for a presentation, a list of completed presentations, and a downloadable flyer on the Speakers Bureau.