Local water authorities seek permission to save more recycled water
Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
08/06/2009
CHINO -- Local authorities have come up with an alternate way to use more recycled water to reduce the region's dependency on imported water.
Inland Empire Utilities Agency and Chino Basin Watermaster have asked a state board to allow them to change the formula allowing more recycled water to be saved in western San Bernardino County.
"It will provide us with greater flexibility with water resources that we have control over, such as recycled water," said Kenneth Manning, Watermaster's CEO.
To make sure the quality of water is not compromised, Department of Public Health requires local agencies to mix recycled water with storm runoff and imported water before it is allowed to be sunk into the ground for storage.
The amount of recycled water that can be saved in the region is calculated through a formula based on the last five years rainfall.
The local agencies have asked the Regional Water Quality Control Board to allow them to use a 10-year period. This will usually allow more recycled water to be recovered rather than sent to the Santa Ana River and the ocean.
Since each designated time period does not have the same number of dry and wet years, the opportunity to use recycled water decreases when there is not enough rainfall to match it.
Also during wet years, when the recharge basins fill up, the excess water cannot be captured and flows to the ocean - essentially wasting it away.
"Our goal is to use as much water as possible here in San Bernardino County," said Andy Campbell, groundwater recharge coordinator with IEUA.
Setting the time limit at 120 months would allow 10 to 20 percent more recycled water to be added to local supply and provide much needed relief during the dry years, Campbell said.
Both the Department of Public Health and regional board are supportive of the time expansion.
"They understand our logic behind it," Manning said.
IEUA recycles 45 million gallons of water per day. Currently, one third of local water supply that passes through recharge basins and into the ground consists of recycled water.
