Watsonville Area Water Recycling Project

Recycled Water Project

The Watsonville Area Water Recycling Project (Recycling Project) is a key project being built in close partnership with the City of Watsonville who owns the existing plant.  It is one of two major projects to be built during 2006 and 2007.  The second project, the Coastal Distribution System, is a series of pipelines to deliver the recycled water (and all future sources of new water) to farmlands in the seawater intrusion areas. Groundwater modeling has shown that the most effective way to achieve overall groundwater basin balance is to eliminate coastal pumping. Therefore replacement water supplies are focused in the coastal zone.

 

Recycling, (also known as “reclamation” and/or "reuse") of wastewater is a well-established technology that is used throughout the United States and the world.  California is known for the strictest standards in the country for regulating the use of recycled water.

 

The existing Wastewater Treatment Facility is located off of West Beach Road at the end of Panabaker Lane next to the Pajaro River.  The Facility treats about 8,000 acre-feet of wastewater each year originating from residential, commercial and industrial sources. The wastewater is treated to the advanced secondary treatment level, and undergoes extensive monitoring and testing to ensure compliance with all state and federal pollution prevention laws before being discharged to the Monterey Bay via pipeline over a mile off shore. The plant will undergo a major upgrade to treat the secondary water to the advanced tertiary level (i.e., Title 22 standards) which is suitable for all uses except for potable (drinking) uses.

 

Need for Recycling

Wastewater recycling has always been a key component of the BMP for six main reasons.  First, the existing treatment plant is centrally located near where it is needed most-- the coastal farmlands in the areas impacted by seawater intrusion.  Second, the source (municipal wastewater) is a very constant and reliable supply, which will be available year after year regardless of droughts.  Third, recycling is a safe, well-established and highly regulated technology that has become a common source of supply in water-short areas like California and other western states. Fourth, recycled water (with grant funding) is less expensive than imported water.  Fifth, recycling maximizes the use of local water supplies first, before turning to imported supplies.  Lastly, we have a successful example of recycling in our own backyard.   Since 1998, the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP) has been delivering about 13,000 acre-feet of recycled water to farmlands in the Castroville area where many, if not all, of the same crops are grown as in the Pajaro Valley. This has allowed local growers to see first hand that recycled water can be safely used on local crops without reducing yield.

 

Phasing of Recycling 

Currently, 8,000 AF of treated wastewater is discharged to the ocean each year.  The first phase of the Recycling Project will divert and treat the majority of this flow during the irrigation season. This equates to a total of about 4,000 AF during the spring, summer and fall months. During the rest of the year there is not enough demand for the recycled water so it will continue to be discharged to the Bay during the winter. Future phases of the recycling project may be pursued if storage can be found during the winter.

 

Project Benefits

When these two new projects are completed, 4,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) of recycled water will be combined with 3,000 AFY of blending water from groundwater wells and the existing Harkins Slough project.  The 4,000 AFY of recycled water is considered “new” water since it otherwise would be discharged into the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.  The Recycling Project together with the Harkins Slough Project will provide about one-quarter of the total basin-wide solution.  About 18,500 AFY of pumping needs to be replaced near the coast to halt seawater intrusion.

 

Timeline for Construction

The City and the Agency are seeking construction bids on both projects during the summer of 2006. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2006 and the first water deliveries should begin at the start of the 2008 growing season. To track the progress of the construction, click here. 

 

Maintaining this schedule is important because substantial state and federal grant funding hangs in the balance.  The construction will cost $48 million, and holding to construction deadlines will release up to $28 million in grant funding and lower local costs by more than half.

 

Related Information

 

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