Water Replenishment District of Southern California, USA – Operating Groundwater Augmentation supplying the Montebello Forebay area in Los Angeles County
The five-acre Albert Robles Center for Water Recycling & Environmental Learning (ARC) is located in the City of Pico Rivera.
ARC is a multipurpose and multi-benefit site which encapsulates the Water Replenishment District’s commitment to the community through the construction of a state-of-the-art Advanced Water Purification Facility, a fully digital Learning Center, and a green infrastructure Demonstration Garden. The Water Replenishment District hosts thousands of visitors at the facility with tours and field trips each year.
Treating up to 14.8 million gallons (56 million liters) of water per day, the ARC facility is the crowning achievement of Water Replenishment District’s Water Independence Now (WIN) program which created a locally sustainable water supply for groundwater recharge in the Montebello Forebay.
Groundwater managed by the Water Replenishment District meets nearly 50% of the water demands for the 4 million residents in Water Replenishment District’s 420-square-mile service area located in southern Los Angeles County.
Annually, the Albert Robles Center purifies approximately 3.25 billion gallons (or 12.3 billion litres) per day of tertiary treated (recycled) water from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. Water from ARC is then delivered to the Montebello Forebay spreading grounds which are owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Water in the spreading grounds percolates into the Central Groundwater Basin before it’s pumped out of the basin as drinking water by groundwater pumpers like municipalities and utilities.
The Water Replenishment District uses stormwater, non-potable recycled water, as well as indirect potable recycled water to supply the region’s groundwater pumpers with clean, safe, and reliable groundwater. In an average year, the Water Replenishment District recharges water at the spreading grounds using roughly 35% stormwater and 65% recycled water.
By transitioning to local and sustainable recycled water supplies, the Water Replenishment District has created self-sufficiency and drought resiliency that will serve the Los Angeles region for generations to come.
Related resources:
ARC Promo Video