Rowland Water District’s (RWD’s) vision for its future is a diversified water supply portfolio to ensure safe and reliable drinking water; a vision and commitment shared by RWD’s Board of Directors and staff. RWD is a proven innovator in using recycled water and decreasing dependence of costly imported potable water, commonly referred to as drinking water. Replacing potable water supplies with recycled water wherever possible is a District-wide conservation effort.
RWD has reduced its imported water dependence by expanding its recycled water system and operating it for uses such as irrigation, construction, cooling towers and industrial processes. RWD’s reputation as a leader in recycled water use led to a contractual agreement with the City of Industry to operate and maintain their recycled water system, which provides recycled water to the Pacific Palms Resort and two PGA accredited golf courses.
Recycled water is completely isolated from all existing potable water and sewer systems and is delivered to customers through specially marked “purple pipes.” Businesses that are actively conserving water by utilizing recycled water for irrigation must post signs indicating its use.
With support from its publicly elected Board of Directors, RWD has successfully diversified its water supply portfolio by developing a recycled water system master plan, hydraulic model and committing to a long-term investment strategy by expanding the recycled water distribution system. A fully expanded recycled water system will shift nearly 4,000 acre feet (1.3 billion gallons) of the 12,000 annual acre feet of potable water over to recycled water supplies.
Water Sources:
The District has developed four local water sources suitable for recycled water distribution to ensure reliability. Two local sources include impaired groundwater from a well constructed in the Puente Basin and the capture of treated water from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) superfund cleanup project. The third source is a connection to the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County where wastewater is treated at the San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant. This plant is capable of delivering 13,000 gallons per minute to RWD. To produce recycled water, reclaimed wastewater is treated in a multi-stage process–it is clarified, biologically oxidized, clarified again, chemically coagulated, filtered and disinfected. This is essentially a duplication of nature’s own cleaning process, only moving at a faster rate. The result is higher-quality water that is odorless, colorless and safe for non-drinking uses. RWD’s recycled water is rigorously monitored by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Customer Benefits:
As a public water agency which is 100% reliant on costly imported water supplies from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the reduction in imported potable water supplies will reduce the impact of future imported cost increases to District customers and still allow commercial and industrial customers to receive discounted rates for recycled water. Other benefits of using recycled water include: recycled water is drought proof and not subject to rationing or shut off in major drought situations; irrigating with recycled water can reduce the need for chemical fertilizers; and the use of recycled water can help preserve California’s precious and dwindling fresh water supply.
Uses for Recycled Water:
- Agriculture
- Landscape Irrigation
- Cooling Towers and Boilers
- Industrial Processes
- Car Wash Facilities
- Dust Control and Soil Compaction
- Concrete Mixing
- Artificial Lakes
- Toilet Flushing in Dual-Plumbed Commercial Buildings
If you would like to inquire about using recycled water at your commercial property and the potential savings, please contact Alex Zaragoza at (562) 383-2350. Recycled water is not currently offered for landscape irrigation at existing individual residences.
Recycled Water Rates & Fees:
There is a commodity rate charged for each unit of water (one hundred cubic feet: 1HCF = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons) supplied by the District, for potable and recycled water, which includes a charge for pumping costs, varying according to the zones of elevation within the District. Recycled water is supplied at a discounted rate.
Recycled Water History
The Beginning
Miles of Pipeline: 19.1 miles
Storage Tank Capacity: 5 million gallons
Pipe Size Diameter: 4”-36”
Recycled Water Supplied in 2022: 355 million gallons
District Expansion
The District has expanded the availability of recycled water to large commercial customers, school athletic fields and parks. Ensuring the ability to meet peak demands, reliability was addressed by converting an existing five million gallon reservoir from potable water storage to recycled water storage. The District continues to survey potential sites that use large amounts of highly treated potable water for uses that have been approved for recycled water.
Customer Development
RWD originally provided recycled water to only eight customers within the District. The original eight customers included three Los Angeles County Parks (Schabarum, Carolyn Rosas, and Sunshine) and four schools (Rowland, Telesis Academy, Southlands Christian School, and Nogales High School) in the Rowland Unified School District and the Queen of Heaven Cemetery. These eight connections accounted for an average demand of 340 acre feet per year (110 million gallons). Since 2002, the District has connected over 100 additional customers with an average demand of 950 acre feet per year (310 million gallons). These additional customers include irrigation demands for parks, landscaped medians, school athletic fields, California State Route 60 freeway improvements, and industrial use at a 500 megawatt Power plant in the City of Industry.
