City of Santa Monica, California, USA – Groundwater replenishment with 4 sources – wastewater, stormwater, urban runoff, and brackish groundwater

The City of Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) is a first of its kind project that provides a drought resilient water supply for the City. Utilising alternative water resources including wastewater, stormwater, urban runoff, and brackish groundwater, the SWIP produces up to 1.5 million gallons (5.7 million litres) a day – or 10% of the City’s water supply – of advanced treated recycled water. Recycled water production from SWIP helps to protect the Santa Monica Bay from stormwater pollution, replenish local groundwater supplies, and contribute to the City’s goal of water self-sufficiency.

The SWIP consists of a new 1.0 million gallon (3.8 million litres) per day advanced water treatment facility, upgrades to the existing Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF) to produce up to 0.5 million gallons (1.9 million litres) per day of treated stormwater, urban runoff, and brackish groundwater, and two 1.5 million gallon (5.7 million litres) stormwater capture tanks. These components currently work together to produce advanced treated recycled water for irrigation and dual-plumbing customers, including City service buildings, with plans to serve dozens more customers by 2029. Groundwater recharge operations are expected to begin in Summer 2024. Recharged recycled water will be retained in the groundwater aquifer before further treatment at the City’s existing reverse osmosis groundwater softening facility to become drinking water for all the City to use.

The SWIP is the first potable reuse facility in California to permit membrane bioreactor and cartridge filtration processes for pathogen reduction, the first stormwater harvesting project in California to meet potable reuse standards for the direct injection of treated stormwater into a groundwater aquifer, and the first below-grade advanced water treatment facility capable of treating raw wastewater and stormwater to groundwater recharge standards all within one facility.

Tours are available by request.

santamonica.gov – Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP)

Related resources:

Project video (SWIP – A story of water resiliency – YouTube),

Project flyer (SWIP Project Information.pdf (santamonica.gov),

News article from spectrumnews1.com: Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project

Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) Title 22 GRRP Engineering Report).