West Basin Municipal Water District, California, USA – Operating groundwater augmentation, innovative wholesaler producing multiple qualities of fit-for-purpose water
West Basin Municipal Water District is a wholesale water agency that provides imported drinking water to nearly one million people in coastal Los Angeles. West Basin treats 30-40 million gallons (113-151 million litres) per day of secondary effluent from the City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.
West Basin’s recycled water system is the only wastewater recycling facility in the world that produces multiple qualities of water product (referred to as “fit-for-purpose”) for municipal, industrial, and commercial needs. The uses include irrigation water, cooling tower water, high-pressure boiler feed water, low-pressure boiler feed water and seawater intrusion and groundwater augmentation water. Breakdown of end uses by average percentage:
- Seawater Intrusion Barrier: 34%
- Cooling Tower: 23%
- Low-Pressure Boiler Feed: 23%
- Irrigation: 13%
- High-Pressure Boiler Feed: 7%
More than 30% of its recycled water contributes to groundwater augmentation, which is a source of drinking water for West Basin retailers and pumpers in the West Coast Basin. Recycled water that serves as a seawater intrusion barrier protects approximately $200 million worth of local groundwater from seawater contamination. West Basin has approximately 100 miles of purple pipe distribution system, and 450 sites that use recycled water fit for their specific purpose.
As of 2023, West Basin has produced more than 250 billion gallons (945 billion litres) of recycled water since it began operating in 1995. This offsets the need to use drinking water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River, and allows potable water to meet the needs of more than 300,000 average Southern California households for one year. The availability of recycled water has allowed large sports teams to build facilities in the District, otherwise restricted for potable water.