The City of Oceanside, California relies on imported water to satisfy over 80% of its drinking water supply. In order to enhance the water supply reliability for its customers and reach their goal of 50% water independence, a city/federal partnership was formed to develop the Mission Basin Indirect Potable Reuse Project. Woodard & Curran conducted a feasibility study for the project that features a groundbreaking technical study on the effectiveness of specific water treatments for the removal of pathogens.
This project unfolded during a time of significant regulatory uncertainty. The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) had recently released new groundwater recharge draft regulations that were subject to interpretation. Meanwhile, the statewide conversation on direct potable reuse was amplifying. The study used advanced technologies and monitoring methods, like ultrafiltration and PEG chloroform to test the presence and effective removal of viruses, protozoa, bacteria and other harmful pathogens like pesticide and pharmaceutical residuals. The research is expected to have a wide-reaching impact on efforts to continually improve drinking water supplies throughout California and potentially the nation.
PUTTING PLANS INTO ACTION
The study also helped the City identify the most viable Indirect Potable Recharge projects in the City, which will help put the City’s supply of more than 1.6 billion gallons of recycled water to beneficial use. In order to assess project readiness, the Firm quantified and monetized the proposed project benefits in anticipation of state and federal funding opportunities and updated existing groundwater models to fulfill the new requirement to show potential ground water movement. The Firm is moving forward with a comprehensive recycled water program at the San Luis Rey facility that will maximize water reuse via nonpotable and indirect potable reuse.
