Toilet to Tap:Water Resources and San Diego

Jeanne Faverman

ENVI 485

March 22, 2007

San Diego Population Projection

Water Demand Projected to Rise by 25% by 2025!!!

The Colorado River

http://geologia.cicese.mx/sist_inf_geo/Salada/colorado_river.jpg

Groundwater depletion

http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/cio/11125940

Annual Colorado River Water Allocation

Upper basin: Colorado - 3.80 million acre-feetWyoming - 1.72Utah - 1.13 New Mexico - 0.85                

Subtotal: 7.50Lower basin:

California - 4.4 (currently using 5.2)Arizona - 2.8Nevada - 0.3                

Subtotal: 7.50 México - 1.5

GRAND TOTAL ~ 17.5 million acre-feet!!!!!!!!

San Diego’s Current Water Supplies

~60-85% from the Colorado RiverLas Vegas dumps 58 billion gallons of treated

sewage water into Lake MeadFlows into Colorado River17% of river’s flow is discharge

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (State Water Source)> 300 farmers and cities are permitted to discharge

their treated and untreated runoff into rivers10% of the rivers’ flow is discharge

Where does wastewater go for most places?

Most communities don’t flush waste into ocean Treated and recycled back to water source

Example: Las Vegas

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Are Water Sources Safe?

Colorado River known to have risks in the past:Contamination with pesticidesAmmonium Perchlorate (toxic rocket fuel)Heavy metalsPathogens such as Giardia

People are much more accepting of “natural” water sources such as the Colorado River even

if those sources include wastewater

What does this mean?

Councilwoman Donna Frye:Much of what is imported into the city is

already tainted with treated or recycled wastewater

"The citizens of San Diego are, in fact, drinking treated wastewater. It's something that is happening now."

San Diego Water Usage

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What is Toilet to Tap? Toilet to Tap refers to the recycling of wastewater for reuse as

potable water

“Water repurification” became “toilet to tap”

Name given to the 1999 City Council referendumVoters rejectedResurfacing again since 2005

Reliable LOCAL source for alternate water resources

Offers opportunity for LONG-TERM sustainability

Can Science Handle the Load?

From a scientific standpoint there is no doubt that any recycled wastewater will go above and beyond the prevailing standards of purity

The problem is who wants to listen to science when disgust is involved?

Toilet to Tap Process

Reverse osmosis Micro-filtration Ultraviolet light Hydrogen peroxide Natural filtration

Water delivered will be so clean that minerals must be added back

Mix highly treated wastewater with “raw” river water in the San Vicente Reservoir

Treat again before piping into homes

Reservoirs are a less cumbersome approach

Reservoir augmentationrequire expansion of a treatment plant and

laying a pipeline to the reservoir

Recycling wastewater for highway medians and golf courses rely on an expensive system of pipes to carry

nonpotable drinking water

How expensive is it?

Current Water Recycling

Projects produce 4.1 billion gallons of water in San Diego County, less than 2 percent of all the water used each year

Goal: create projects that will produce 14.7 billion more gallons of recycled water by 2030

San Diego and Orange County

• SAN DIEGO WATER DEPARTMENT

• Water customers served: 1.2 million.

• Proposed project's annual volume: 10,500 acre-feet.

• Recycled water storage: San Vicente Reservoir.

• Water treatment technologies: Microfiltration, reverse osmosis, UV and hydrogen-peroxide disinfection.

• Cost: $210 million. • Status: under review by a city

committee.

• ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT

• Water customers served: 2.3 million.

• Project's annual volume: 72,000 acre-feet.

• Recycled water storage: Orange County aquifer.

• Water treatment technologies: Microfiltration, reverse osmosis, UV and hydrogen-peroxide disinfection.

• Cost: $487 million. • Status: scheduled for 2007

completion.

Orange County Processing Plant

Filtration Makes Drinkable Water

Why did it work there and not here?

1999: San Diego halted its first repurification project after public outcry

“Toilet to Tap” made national headlinesObjections:

Health, safety, and operational concernsLower-income neighborhoods in the

southern part of the city would become guinea pigs for untested technology

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Communication is key

Orange County honored for having the nation’s best public-outreach program:Backing from > 400 OC organizations and

leadersTeacher unions, hospitals, Surfrider Foundation,

Boeing, Auxiliary Bishop Jamie Soto

Face-to-face meetings with influential residents

A Global Issue

Southwestern USAustraliaSingaporeEurope

Anywhere population is growing with a finite supply of potable water

My Recommendations

Educate the masses Rename the referendum and project

“toilet to tap” and “sewer to showers” not positive

Water conservation effortsRainwater collectionsStart using as a preventative effort, not as a last

resort

Conclusion

Population in the future will increaseDrinkable water is a finite resourceReclamation projects can be some of the most

affordable and reliable options for long-term sustainability

Is it better to drink recycled water or not have any water to drink?

THIS MIGHT BE A CHOICE SAN DIEGIANS HAVE TO MAKE SOONER THEN LATER!!!

Sources http://www.sdcwa.org http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050912/news_1n12water.html http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050712-9999-1n12water.html http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070309/news_lz1e9bird.html http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2000/108-10/forum.html http://www.poopreport.com/BMnewswire/toilet_to_tap.html http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:76253 http://geologia.cicese.mx/RCdelta/background_eng.htm http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9587556/detail.html http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/27/news/sandiego/0_39_037_27_06.txt http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/top_stories/

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Questions

1. What are the sources for San Diego water? How is San Diego’s method of wastewater disposal different from most places?

2. What is toilet to tap? Why is it a reasonable alternative?

3. Why did the water recycling facility in Orange Co. receive approval when San Diego Co. did not?