Regional Brackish Water Reclamation Program Overview

Jim McDavid, PE February 2, 2018

WRD Service Area in Southern LA County

43 Cities

> 4 million people

Groundwater is nearly 50% of water supply

370 active production wells

50 foot drop

1900s-1950s OVERDRAFT

(pumping was double the natural supply)

Plunging Water Levels

Loss of Supply

Wells Going Dry

Seawater Intrusion Along the Coast

160 foot drop

Results of Groundwater Management…

Rising Water Levels

Sustainability

Water Quality Protection

Seawater Intrusion Control

Since WRD Formation (1959): 7 Million AF through spreading

grounds 1.6 million AF through seawater barrier

injection wells

Managed Aquifer Recharge

Montebello Forebay Spreading Grounds

Alamitos Barrier

Dominguez Gap Barrier

West Coast Barrier

New GRIP

AWTF

Replenishment Facilities

Replenishment Water Sources

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Began using recycled water for recharge at the Montebello Forebay Spreading Grounds (1962)

Began using recycled water for injection (1994)

Imported Water Recycled Water

Local Water AFY

Water year

Active Water Supply Production Wells

Central Basin West Coast Basin

Control Pumping Legal Action (adjudication) in 1960s reduced pumping to 281,835.25 acre feet per year (~ 92 billion gallons per year)

WRD’s Formation and Solutions to Save Groundwater

Adjudication Central Basin West Basin Total Unused Rights

FY 15-16 182,760 31,635 214,395 67,440

FY 16-17 183,154 26,805 209,959 71,876

FY 17-18 Projected 217,300 64,535

Seawater Intrusion Extent

Groundwater Flow Direction

3.75 miles

With over-pumping in the West Coast Basin seawater encroached intruded the fresh water aquifer

Plume movement inland calculated at ~ 250 ft/yr

Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter

Constructed in 2002 with product water delivery to City of Torrance Design capacity 2.5 mgd

Expansion completed in December 2017 New capacity 5.0 mgd

Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter

Intake Two wells (offsite and offsite)

Discharge LACSD sewer

Treatment Cartridge filter Reverse Osmosis Post Treatment

Capacity 5.0 MGD

Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter

Regional Brackish Water Reclamation Program - Overview WRD and 6 Stakeholder Agency Process

LADWP City of Torrance City of Manhattan Beach California Water Service Golden State Water Company West Basin MWD

Evaluate Siting West Coast Groundwater Basin Multiple facilities Single facility

Evaluate Facility Size 600,000 AF plume size 5,000 AFY up to 20,000 AFY

Evaluate Intake Primarily Silverado Aquifer Existing or abandoned wells New wells

Evaluate Potable Water Connection Local retailer systems MWD feeders

Evaluate Discharge LACSD sewer system Ocean discharge

An impaired groundwater resource will be recovered and put to beneficial use

Regional benefit of groundwater cleanup and reducing seawater contamination of nearby wells

Create additional groundwater storage

Local users decrease their reliance on imported water, further “drought proofing” local communities.

Regional Brackish Water Reclamation Program - Benefits

Current Stage of Program Development - Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study Determine the purpose and need for the project Determine site and associated treatment capacity Analyze project level alternatives Determine a preferred alternative(s) Identify implementation steps

Expected Feasibility Study Budget $1.4M for Feasibility Study and Pre-CEQA+ Analysis

Scope of Work Analysis of alternatives- screening & detailed

Intakes Treatment Pipeline routes Storage Siting Brine disposal Power Supply

Release RFP for Feasibility Study – February 2018 Perform Feasibility Study – April 2018 – April 2019 CEQA/+ and NEPA Project(s) Implementation

Next Steps

Questions?