Padre Dam Approves Environmental Report For East County Advanced Water Purification Project

Santee, CA -- Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors has approved the environmental report for the East County Advanced Water Purification Project.

“The approval of the environmental report for this project brings us another step closer to producing a local water supply for East County and improving the reliability of the water service for our community,” comments Allen Carlisle, Padre Dam CEO/General Manager. “We are on track for the project to begin providing water to the East San Diego communities by 2025.”

The East County Advanced Water Purification Project is a collaborative partnership between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, County of San Diego and City of El Cajon for the purpose of creating a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof water supply using state-of-the-art technology. The project will recycle East San Diego County’s wastewater locally and then purify the recycled water at an Advanced Water Treatment Facility using four advanced water purification steps. The purified water will then be pumped into Lake Jennings, treated again at the Helix Levy Treatment Plant and then distributed into the drinking water supply.

This water recycling project will diversify East County’s drinking water supply, reduce the region’s dependence on imported water, and helps the region in achieving long-term Clean Water Act compliance. The project will produce up to 12,900 acre-feet per year or 11.5 million gallons per day of new local drinking water supply.

“This project is forward-thinking, innovative and promises to give East County greater water independence and reliability,” said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents the area. “It will give us more local control over our most precious resource -- and that’s great news for residents and businesses.”

Padre Dam offers tours of the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project. To schedule a tour or for more information on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program, visit www.EastCountyAWP.com.

About Padre Dam Municipal Water
Padre Dam Municipal Water District provides water, sewer, recycled water and recreation services to approximately 100,000 residents in East San Diego County, California including Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, Dehesa and Crest. The District currently imports 100% of its drinking water supply and treats two million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at its Water Recycling Facility. For more information, visit www.padredam.org .