IRRP Upper District Leave Behind

IRRP
INDIRECT REUSE
REPLENISHMENT
PROJECT
CALIFORNIA IS CURRENTLY
EXPERIENCING THE MOST
SEVERE AND PROLONGED
DROUGHT IN RECORDED
HISTORY.
WHO ARE WE?
The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District was
incorporated in 1959 and covers approximately 144 square
miles of the San Gabriel Valley. It services 18 cities and portions
of unincorporated Los Angeles County with more than 1
million residents. Upper District partners with many public and
private entities to provide a sustainable, high-quality water
supply to the residents of the greater San Gabriel Valley.
WHAT IS IRRP?
WHY DO WE NEED IT?
The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (Upper
District) is working to expand its existing recycled water
program by developing the Indirect Reuse Replenishment
Project (IRRP) – a safe, reliable, water resource project to
supplement the current water supply in the San Gabriel
Valley. There is no better time for us to tap into a practice
that has been in use for a half century to replenish record low
groundwater supplies. The IRRP will replenish the severely
depleted Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin with up to
10,000 acre-feet annually of highly treated recycled water.
The project will reduce the San Gabriel Valley’s reliance on
imported water by 25 percent, providing a reliable, droughtresistant water resource that is essential given California’s
dire drought conditions.
California is currently experiencing the most
severe and prolonged drought in recorded
history. Without a long-term, reliable source of
replenishment water, a sustained reduction
of groundwater levels in the Main San Gabriel
Groundwater Basin has the potential to impact the
availability of water to the San Gabriel Valley. The
California State Water Resources Control Board
and Gov. Jerry Brown have called for increased
investment in sustainable water supplies such as
groundwater replenishment with highly treated
recycled water.
Contact:
602 E. Huntington Drive, Suite B Monrovia, CA 91016
email: info@usgvmwd.org
Website:
www.upperdistrict.org/supply/IRRP
(626) 443-2297
“To date, all testing results
have exceeded the research
expectations and support the
findings of similar projects
which have been operating
for over 50 years in southern
California.”
- Dr. Shane Trussell, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE,
President of Trussell Technologies, Inc.,
and Industry expert
HOW WILL IT
WORK?
Recycled water has been
commonly used for irrigation
and industrial uses and is
increasingly being used for
groundwater
replenishment.
Highly treated recycled water
will be pumped from the San
Jose Creek Water Reclamation
Plant to the Santa Fe Spreading
grounds through a proposed
9-mile pipeline adjacent to
the San Gabriel River. Industry
experience and state-of-theart research were incorporated
to ensure compliance with all
local and State drinking water
regulations. More than 50,000
acre-feet per year of this very
same highly treated recycled
water has been used for
over 50 years to replenish the
Central Basin, also in the San
Gabriel River Watershed.
IS IT SAFE?
Groundwater recharge with highly treated
purified recycled water has been proven a
safe, pure, reliable water supply for over 50
years in Southern California. There are 7 projects
currently operating to replenish groundwater
basins with almost 200,000 acre-feet per year
and over 20 additional projects under various
stages of development in Southern California
alone. Several of these projects practice
‘surface spreading’, a process that takes
advantage of Soil Aquifer Treatment, a natural
purification process that occurs through the
percolation and travel of water in the ground
that effectively treats the water further. Upper
District was the agency sponsor for a national
research program with the WateReuse
Research Foundation to assess the benefits
of purification alternatives prior to SAT. The
project team included several industry experts
who pioneered this new technology of water
purification.
Research testing results have
continually exceeded expectations resulting
in water quality results that are above the Safe
Drinking Water Act requirements."
WHY IS IT POSITIVELY
RECEIVED BY THE
PUBLIC?
In this time of scarce water supply
and increasing concern about
the environment, public support is
growing dramatically for water reuse
projects. Public support for various
recycled water projects jumped
from 26 percent in 2004 to 73 percent
in 2012. Scientists and public health
professionals have played key roles
in designing and monitoring the
process throughout its development,
and we can assure the public that
this is a safe way to provide reliable
water supplies.
KEY PROJECT ELEMENT
SOIL AQUIFER
TREATMENT PROCESS
This Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) process will allow more
than two years of significant quality improvements
through physical, chemical and biological processes
through natural filtration. SAT is a widespread practice
in southern California for more than 50 years.
Soil Aquifer Treatment Process
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Currently, the project is in the design phase, expected
to be completed in fall 2016. The required permits and
environmental documentation are expected to be
completed in early 2016. Construction is planned to begin in
spring 2017. The project is expected to be fully operational
by late 2018. We are asking for your support to help secure
water bond financing for this important project. The project
will benefit all water users in the San Gabriel Valley by
replenishing the severely depleted groundwater supplies in
the Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin and by providing
a safe, long-term, reliable water supply.
Water Table
Project
8
Contact:
602 E. Huntington Drive, Suite B Monrovia, CA 91016
email: info@usgvmwd.org
(no drinking water wells allowed)
Website:
www.upperdistrict.org/supply/IRRP
(626) 443-2297
Groundwater Outside
Project Boundary
(drinking water wells allowed)