Questions about Recycled Water

What is recycled water?

• Recycled water is highly treated wastewater that has been purified through multiple levels of treatment to meet the stringent health standards set by the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hundreds of communities throughout California are using recycled water. Approved and common uses include:
• Irrigation of parks and playgrounds, golf courses, freeway landscaping and residential common areas
• Commercial toilet and urinal flushing
• Industrial processing
• Industrial and commercial cooling or air-conditioning
• Commercial laundries
• Decorative fountains
• Lake recharge
• Wetlands projects

Is recycled water safe?

• Yes. Recycled water must meet stringent regulatory requirements monitored by the State Department of Public Health and be treated to the State of California Title 22 standards for tertiary (advanced) treatment of water. It must also meet regional and local standards.  Wastewater is treated to these rigid standards to ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected.  Recycled water to be utilized for the City of Clovis’ Water Reuse Project will be monitored and tested daily to ensure that it consistently meets these high quality standards.

How long has recycled water been in use?

• Recycled water systems have been operating in California and throughout the nation since the early 1960’s.  Recycled water is used in more than 1,600 individual parks, playgrounds or schoolyard sites throughout the United States.

Where else is recycled water used?

• More than 1,600 sites in 11 states are using recycled water, including 160 cities in California. Recycled water is currently being used throughout southern California in communities such as San Diego, Irvine, Orange and Los Angeles counties. In California’s North Bay Area, Daly City, Oakland, Alameda, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and San Jose are among the communities that are using this valuable resource.
• Recycled water is used in many ways and in many states across the country. In Arizona, Texas, Virginia and Florida, recycled water is added and blended with water sources in reservoirs and underground storage basins that are used as drinking water supplies.  Globally, Israel, Jordan and Australia are considered leaders in the use of recycled water.

What is the City of Clovis doing to make sure the recycled water is always safe?

• The recycled water quality will be monitored by treatment plant personnel daily to ensure that rigid water quality standards are continually met.  Water testing takes place throughout the treatment process.  Water quality testing results are reported to, and monitored by, regulatory officials to ensure high quality standards are met.  Additionally, proper application of recycled water for the City’s Water Reuse Project will be ensured through implementation of Best Management Practices, appropriate signage and markings, cross-connection testing and control of overspray and runoff at irrigation sites.

Questions about our Recycled Water Project

Why is the wastewater treatment plant necessary?

• To provide for wastewater treatment for new growth areas in the City, the City evaluated buying more capacity at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Fresno or constructing a new facility in the City of Clovis.  Due to costs and the ability to reuse the treated wastewater in the City it was decided that it was in the best interest of the City to construct a new facility.

Why is the Water Reuse Project necessary?

• The Water Reuse Project will allow the City to efficiently utilize its water resources.  The supply of potable water is limited and additional supply is expensive.  The utilization of recycled water will reduce the demand for potable water.

How much potable water will be offset by recycled water use?

• The amount of potable water offset by recycled water use will grow over time as additional landscape areas are built or converted to recycled water use.  Within the first phase of project development the quantity will be up to 2,913 acre feet annually.

Who will be using the recycled water and how were they selected?

• City public landscape will be the main user of recycled water.  Other users will be Caltrans for freeway landscaping and potentially school landscapes and California State University Fresno.  Large landscapes that are publicly maintained will be the primary initial users.

Why are recycled water reuse opportunities not citywide?

• The distribution system to deliver the recycled water is being constructed with new development that is adjacent to the primary transmission mains.  The primary transmission mains are located generally on the east side of the City.

Will new home developments be required to use recycled water?

• The public landscape areas for developments that are proximate to the main transmission lines will utilize recycled water.  Individual homes will not utilize recycled water.

How much will users pay for recycled water?

• The cost for recycled water has not been determined yet, but will most likely be less than the cost of potable water.

What will the treatment plant look like?

• The plant includes an administration building, a headworks building, a membrane bioreactor structure, a pump station building and a 3.1 million gallon recycled water storage tank. 

What treatment technology will be used?

• The plant will utilize state-of-the-art wastewater treatment technologies.  A membrane bioreactor will integrate liquid treatment and ultrafiltration solids separation, providing for enhanced treatment that will yield high-quality reuse water.  Ultraviolet disinfection will be provided for pathogen destruction.

What sort of odors, if any, will come from the treatment plant?

• The plant has been designed to minimize odors from operations.  The bioreactors and headworks are covered and the air is scrubbed by a biofilter prior to release.  

Will the recycled water smell bad when applied to landscaping?

• There should be no noticeable odor coming from the recycled water.

Will area residents be forced to switch to city water/sewer as a result of this project?

• This project will have no effect on residents that do not currently have City sewer or water service.

How will groundwater supplies near the treatment plant be protected from contact with untreated wastewater?

• There is no onsite disposal or storage of untreated wastewater. 

Is there a concern that groundwater supplies could be adversely affected by the use of recycled water for landscape and agricultural irrigation?

• No.  Recycled water will be applied at rates which are appropriate for the landscape and plant needs.  It will not be overapplied.

Why is there so much treated recycled water being sent to Fancher Creek?

• The recycled water system is being designed such that the peak demands in the system will be met by the maximum output of the treatment plant.  Since the peak recycled water demands occur during the summer months, usually in July, the rest of the year there will be excess recycled water. 

What are the methods, phases and schedule of construction activities?

• The project includes numerous components which include two major pump stations, two outfalls, force mains, a recycled water pump station and the water reuse facility.  The water reuse facility will be constructed in three phases with the first phase providing for 2.8 million gallons per day of treatment capacity.  Future phases will also be in increments of 2.8 million gallons per day of treatment capacity.  Below is a drawing of the phase 1 project components.