California County Looks To Bolster Recycled Water Use

Saint Luis Obispo County on California's Central Coast may try to increase its recycled water use in an effort to fight the effects of the drought.

A new report by county and city officials says the area has the potential to jump from using recycled water for 0.4 percent of its water supply to 10 percent by 2020.

“The 2014 drought conditions have highlighted the benefits of developing a local, reliable water supply for municipalities as well as agricultural and industrial water users,” the report said, per the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

San Luis Obispo County currently has two main water sources.

"Groundwater basins account for nearly 90 percent of the water, while surface water, such as lakes and reservoirs, accounts for 10 percent," the Tribune reported.

Courtney Howard, a water resources engineer with county Public Works, explained that infrastructure is the major barrier to using more recycled water.

“The cost of that infrastructure is probably the biggest hurdle in achieving our goal of greater use of recycled water,” she said to the Tribune. “So to the extent that we can get grants to cover some of the cost will speed up implementation.”

In the San Diego area, homeowners associations (HOAs) are already reaping the benefits of new water technology. 

In 2004, water bills for the Westview Neighborhood HOA, "including its 9 acres of slopes, 2 acres of planters and half-acre of turf — were about $16,000 a month," a landscaping official wrote in an editorial for U-T San Diego. 

Installing smart controllers, using recycled waters, and reducing consumption have significantly reduced costs, according to John Kalas of Castle Breckenridge Management, the property manager for the HOA.

“With help from Pacific Green Landscape, we paid only $3,000 in the month of August 2014, and $2,000 in the month of September 2014,” Kalas said, per the editorial.

The $7.5 billion water bond that California voters approved in November includes funding for recycled water projects.

"The projects that could be funded include dams to underground storage, along with efforts to improve watersheds and groundwater management, along with increased conservation and water recycling," KQED reported.

Check out Water Online's Water Reuse Solution Center.