Recycled Water Managed Aquifer Recharge

in California

Segunda Jornada Technicas sobre la Recarga Artificial de Acuiferos

y Reuso De Agua Torre de Ingeneria, UNAM, Mexico D.F.

28 y 29 de agosto de 2013

Timothy Kevin Parker, Parker Groundwater Director, Groundwater Resources Association of California

Director, California Groundwater Coalition Director, American Ground Water Trust

Public Advisory Committee – California Water Plan Groundwater Caucus Chair - California Water Plan

Presentation Overview

• California setting and current efforts

• Drivers for increasing recycled water use

• Recycled water policy

• Case studies – WRD & OCWD

• Summary & Conclusions

PPIC 2011

California Setting

18,500 Mm3

Basins with Chronic Groundwater Level

Declines

DWR Bulletin 118-75 September 1975

USGS Professional Paper 1766

Storage Loss 60 M acre-feet/74,000 Mm3

Water from the Water-Rich North to the

Water-Poor South Goes Through…..

The Delta (estuary)

1100 mi/1770 km of water ways 2/3 state’s drinking water

Water from the Water-Rich North to the

Water-Poor South Goes Through…..

The Delta

In Crisis Ecology Subsidence Climate Change Earthquakes

Water from the North to the

South Would Go Through…..

The Tunnels

• Length 30mi/48km • Three Sacramento River intakes • Capacity 9,000cfs/255m3s • Modify/optimize Clifton Forebay

Current Significant Efforts in California

• Delta Stewardship Council and Delta Plan

• Bay Delta Conservation Plan

• California Water Plan Update 2013

• Statewide Water Action Plan

– (or “Water Vision”)

• 2014 Water Bond

Groundwater Management Is California still the Wild West?

• Surface Water is Permitted – Groundwater is not

Regulated/Permitted • State Agency Mandates and

Policies – Mal-Aligned and Counter-

Productive – Policies Largely Contaminant

Cleanup-Based

• Fractionated Local Agency Management – Over 1,000 Local Agencies - Water

Special Groundwater

Districts & Adjudications

PPIC 2011

• 23 adjudicated basins

• 4 special groundwater districts

DWR PAC 2013, unpublished

June 2012 13

106 Projects Recorded Source:

CA Dept of Water Resources

Banking and Recharge Projects in California

Drivers for Recycled Water Use and Recharge

• Increasing demands • Climate change uncertainty • More surface water storage limited • Current major water infrastructure designed

middle of the last century based on hydrology which was ‘wet’

• Groundwater contamination growing • Groundwater reservoirs can work to help meet

the future needs • Basins need to be refilled for a non-rainy day fund

for future supply resiliency and reliability

Recycled Water Policy

• 2009 Recycled Water Policy adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board – Increase use of recycled water

– Increase stormwater recharge

– Streamline project permitting

– Put recycled water to beneficial use

• Recycled Water Policy: develop Salt and Nutrien Management Plan (SNMP) for all groundwater basins or subbasins in California – Understand effects of salt and nutrient loading

– Manage loading to protect groundwater quality

1. Groundwater monitoring plan 2. Goals and objectives for water

recycling and stormwater recharge

3. Salt and nutrient source characterization, assimilative capacity, loading estimates and fate & transport

4. Measures to manage loading 5. Anti-degradation analysis

SNMP Required Elements

Recycled Water Recharge Permitting

• Permits for use of recycled water are issued by the State and Regional Water Boards

• California Department of Public Health (CDPH) establishes criteria for water recycling criteria & regulations, and makes recommendations to Water Boards per recycled water project

• Water is continuously monitored before and after treatment • Recharged water is also monitored in wells between point of

injection and water supply • Monitoring parameters include emerging constituents of concern • Water supply wells have to be located minimum distance of

– Six month travel time for water infiltrated in spreading basin – One year travel time for water injected into the aquifer – Travel time determined by tracer tests and modeling

Brief History of Groundwater Recharge with Recycled Water in California

• 1933 - Orange County Water District – recharge Santa Ana River water

• 1960’s -Water Replenishment District of Southern

California and Los Angeles County Sanitation

• 1976 – OCWD - treating recycled water Water Factory 21

• 1991 – OCWD permitted to inject 100% recycled water

• 2005 – WRD Advanced Water Treatment Facility

• 2006 – City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

• 2008 – OCWD begins operation of Groundwater Replenishment System -70MGD/265,000cubic meters-day – 117B gallons produced

Central and West Coast Basins of

Southern Los Angeles County

600,000 acre feet total water used per year

43 cities

250,000 acre feet is from groundwater (~ 40%)

Population is about 4 million

(over 10% of California’s population)

Over 400 Wells Today

Spreading Grounds

Alamitos

Barrier

Dominguez Gap

Barrier

West

Coast

Barrier

MAR Facilities

Facilities owned and operated by LA

County Flood Control District

Spreading

Grounds -

Built 1937 Rio Hondo

San

Gabriel Size Both Basins: 1,000 Ac/4Km

Intake Capacity: 2,850 cfs/80.7m3/s

Storage Capacity: 5,200 af/6.4 Mm3

Infiltration Rate: up to 1,200 cfs/34m3s

(2,400 afd)

Spreading Water Sources

Rainfall per year

(54,000 af/66.6 Mm3)

Recycled Wastewater per year

(50,000 af/62 Mm3)

Imported River Water

(21,000 af/26 Mm3)

Barrier Wells Built 1950’s

Facilities owned and

operated by LA County

Flood Control District

Barrier Water Sources

• Potable Water per year

(10,500 af/12 Mm3)

• Advanced Treated Recycled Municipal Wastewater/year (17,500 af/21 Mm3)

Reverse Osmosis

Goal is to be independent from imported water to replenish all of the groundwater supplies. Increase recycled and stormwater capture to replace imported.

WIN is a collection of 6 solo or partnered projects that will provide a sustainable groundwater supply.

The WIN Program will decrease demand on water from environmentally sensitive Bay Delta as well as the Colorado River.

Up to 34,000 af/42 Mm3 of imported water will be replaced by WIN. Estimated cost $200 million. Date of completion 2020.

Orange County Water District

Established in 1933 to:

– Protect Santa Ana River flow

– Conserve water

– Manage groundwater basin – Control groundwater pumping

– Replenish basin

– Protect water quality

– Seawater intrusion

– Basin recovery projects

OCWD recharge

facilities along

Santa Ana River.

Warner Basin in

center/background.

River flows can be diverted with an inflatable rubber dam

Anaheim Lake can recharge 100+ cubic feet per second when clean

Summary & Conclusions

• California has a long, successful history of MAR, and recycled water has been used for several decades

• Due to continued losses of endangered species in the Delta system, less water is available, and recycled water is being used more

• State policy and regulations – Increase use of recycled water – Maintain salt and nutrient balance in basins

• Regional Interdependence Will Work – less reliant on imported water through recycled water,

stormwater capture and increasing conservation, public outreach and education

End

References

• Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley Aquifer – USGS Professional Paper 1766

• Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation – Public Policy Insitute

Websites

• http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/cwpu2013 • http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/Home.aspx • http://deltacouncil.ca.gov/ • http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Water_Bond_%28

2014%29 • http://www.leginfo.ca.gov • http://www.ocwd.com • http://www.wrd.org • http://www.grac.org • http://www.ppic.org • http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Water_Bond_%28

2014%29 • http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/central-valley-

hydrologic-model.html

Recycled Water Managed Aquifer Recharge

in California

Segunda Jornada Technicas sobre la Recarga Artificial de Acuiferos

y Reuso De Agua Torre de Ingeneria, UNAM, Mexico D.F.

28 y 29 de agosto de 2013

Tim Parker, Parker Groundwater Director, Groundwater Resources Association of California

DWR Bulletin 118-80 January 1980