Grand Opening of Advanced Water Purification Facility in California
California, USA – 13 April 2015:
Padre Dam Municipal Water District celebrated the grand opening of its Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility and tour program on Friday. The demonstration facility has been built to utilize advanced water purification technologies to produce approximately 100,000 gallons (US) of recycled water for testing purposes.
During the year-long demonstration period, Padre Dam’s Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility will take recycled water through four advanced water treatment steps: Free chlorine disinfection, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation (ultra violet light and hydrogen peroxide). The produced water will be vigorously tested to ensure it meets the high quality water standards of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water’s stringent public health objectives.
If the demonstration facility is deemed successful and the project moves forward, the water would be injected into the Santee groundwater basin, withdrawn and treated again prior to distribution as drinking water.
“California’s severe drought brings into focus the importance of Padre Dam’s efforts to develop a local water supply with our Advanced Water Purification Project. The Grand Opening of our demonstration facility could not have come at a more appropriate time - on the heels of the lowest recorded snowpack in California’s history,” said Allen Carlisle, CEO and General Manager of Padre Dam. “The full scale Advanced Water Purification Project has the potential to provide a reliable, drought-proof water source that is up to 20 percent of Padre Dam’s current drinking water supply.”
Padre Dam is working with Helix Water District, the City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego to study the feasibility of developing an expanded East County Advanced Water Purification Program. The study will focus on the possibility of expanding Padre Dam’s proposed Advanced Water Purification Project to accommodate and treat wastewater from the other agencies’ service areas in order to provide a new drought proof water supply. This expanded program could produce up to 10 million gallons (US) of water per day.
Biwater provided a complete turnkey design, and supplied and commissioned all process, mechanical, electrical and control components for the project.
“With our global Center of Excellence for Desalination and Membrane Treatment in California, it has been a pleasure to support this progressive local demonstration project, which has the potential to reduce Padre Dam’s dependence on imported water from the Colorado River and Delta Bay hundreds of miles away,” said Richard White, Senior Vice President of Biwater’s Desalination and Membrane Treatment Sector said.
Present at grand opening were a number of key representatives from across the State. Special State and Congressional proclamations were delivered by Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Scott Peters, as well as staff representing State Senator Joel Anderson.
Photos:
Grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony
Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility
Opening tour around the Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility
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