Having an adequate water supply has always been a challenge for San Diego, with its semi-arid climate and average annual rainfall of only 6 - 10 inches. Eighty to ninety percent of our water is imported from the Colorado River and Northern California via aqueducts. The City of San Diego is working to develop local solutions for future water supply reliability. The three-phased Water Reuse program is one of those solutions.

Phase 1: Water Reuse Study

In January 2004, the San Diego City Council authorized a comprehensive evaluation of all viable options to maximize the usage of recycled water. The study also included analysis and research on the health effects of reuse options and a public participation process. The Reuse Study's stakeholders identified Reservoir Augmentation at the City's San Vicente Reservoir to be their preferred strategy. In October 2007, the San Diego City Council also recognized the North City-3 strategy, also known as San Vicente Indirect Potable Reuse, as their preferred alternative.

Phase 2: Water Reuse Demonstration Project

The San Diego City Council authorized the Water Reuse Demonstration Project in December 2007. The Demonstration Project will:

• design, construct, operate, and test a one-million gallon per day advanced recycled water treatment plant at the North City Water Reclamation Plant;
• conduct a scientific study of San Vicente Reservoir to establish residence time and short-circuiting conditions of advanced treated recycled water in the reservoir;
• define state regulatory requirements;
• perform an independent energy and economic analysis; and
• conduct a public outreach and education program

Indirect Potable Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF: 1.4Mb)
Report to City Council No. 08-125 - Proposition 218 Noticing for Proposed Water Rate Increase (PDF: 630K)

Phase 3: Water Reuse Reservoir Augmentation

Should Phase 2 prove successful, and receive approvals and funding, the third and final phase of the Water Reuse program would be the construction of a full-scale advanced water treatment plant and transmission pipeline. The treatment plant would take recycled water (acceptable for irrigation and industrial applications) from the North City Water Reclamation Plant and apply additional treatment to produce high quality advanced treated water. A 23-mile pipeline would then transport this advanced treated recycled water to San Vicente Reservoir where it would blend with imported untreated water and reside for several months (per state regulation) prior to being sent to water treatment plants for additional treatment and distribution as potable water.