January 23, 1996, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Presented by The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Recycled Water Information Clearinghouse, Central Basin Municipal Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District
in association with The Southern California Council on Environment and Development (SCCED)

Introduction

Ray Remy, President, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce: We are pleased to be part of the Recycled Water Information Clearinghouse because it gives us a chance to be part of solving a very important issue for business in our area — sufficient supplies of reasonably priced water. We like the idea of business, government and environmentalists sitting around the table to find common solutions.

Water Supply and Demand for Economic Development

Richard Atwater, West Basin MWD: All of us in the water supply business want to talk to you about how we can provide you better water at less cost, and protect the environment at the same time — and the secret is recycled water.

The West Basin and Central Basin MWDs have over 150 major business customers using recycled water, including Exxon, LAX, golf courses, nurseries, as well as using it for groundwater replenishment. We have taken advantage of the construction of the Century freeway to put new pipes into the Downy Springs area, opening up the opportunity for many more customers to use recycled water.

Water recycling has been used across the country for many years. In Yuma, Arizona, the nation's largest recycling facility of runoff from agriculture, desalts the water and puts it into the river for reuse. In heavy industry, Bethlehem Steel has been using treated sewage water since 1942.

State Policies and Support for Water Recycling

Mike Hoover, HYA Associates: The State of California recognizes water recycling as a win-win opportunity. People recognize the state will be short of water, by perhaps 3 – 5 million acre-feet per year (AFY) in next 20 years. The California Water Reclamation Act of 1991 set goals of recycling 700,000 AFY by 2000 and 1 million AFY by 2010, but more is needed.

Who Uses Recycled Water Now?

Tom Holliman, Long Beach Water Department: Use of reclaimed water is increasing across the state. In 1989, it was 150,000 AFY, by the year 2000, we estimate at least 1 million AFY, and by 2010, over 1.4 million AFY. Statewide, 53% of recycled water goes to agriculture, 21% to ground water recharge, 17% for landscapes, and only 2% to business.

What Current Users Say about Recycled Water

Chris Spurrell, Chevron El Segundo Refinery: We process more water than oil in our refinery. We built it on the coast to use sea water for cooling water, but we have found recycled water works better in many of our cooling applications. Right now we're using 10,000 gallons per minute (14 million gallons per day). The bottom line is we are actually getting better performance than from drinking water, and it is cheaper.

Chuck Jones, Tuftex Industries, Santa Fe Springs: We make carpets for businesses and homes. We use a million gallons a day to carry the dye as we color the carpet. Before using recycled water, our re-dye jobs were 7% of production. Now they are half of that, down to 3% (much lower than any other factory in the business), because our water is more stable. It is costing us less money to buffer it than before, and the cost of the water is less, so we are pleased.

Cost Savings and Benefits of Recycled Water

Jim Graham, Las Virgenes MWD: We are recycling over 3,000 AFY for landscape irrigation purposes. Our Board of Directors is pricing reclaimed water at 75% of the cost of potable. It is a drought-proof supply — there are no drought restrictions placed on use of reclaimed water. The plant nutrients in the recycled water have enabled our customers to eliminate the use of lawn fertilizers, and they save on their sewage charges.

What Does It Take To Go From Potable to Recycled?

Earle Hartling, Recycling Coordinator, L.A. County Sanitation District: Our agency collects and treats waste water and provides a very clean reusable source of water. One of the main reasons for reusing reclaimed water is that, if there is a water shortage, recycled water is dependable. In fact, the cost of water is not as important as reliability of water supply for most businesses, such as refineries, concrete manufacturers, golf courses, cemeteries, etc.

The County Sanitation District has 10 reclamation plants capable of providing over 200 million gallons per day. Recycled water distribution lines are expanding and the cost is lowering. Cost savings vary from 28% to 80% of the cost of potable.