The Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) system is an innovative approach to keeping
Orange County's groundwater basin a reliable source for meeting the region's future
potable water needs. A joint program of the Orange County Water District (OCWD)
and the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), the GWR system is an ambitious,
large-scale project that will construct an advanced recycled water treatment facility
(AWTF) to treat secondary wastewater for reuse. The facility will replace the aging
Water Factory 21 (WF21) which, when completed in 1976, was one of the first recycled
water treatment plants in the world. Using microporous membranes as pretreatment
for reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) following RO, Phase 1 of the
GWR system will produce 70 million gallons per day (mgd) of highly treated water that
will meet all drinking water standards. The treated water will be injected into the
ground to supply the local seawater intrusion barrier and percolated into spreading
basins for groundwater recharge, thus reducing Southern California's dependence on
imported water. Besides providing a new, local source of water, the project will also
eliminate the need for an additional outfall to the Pacific Ocean, and will improve the
water quality of the Orange County groundwater basin.
A project as large and sophisticated as the GWR system faces many significant
implementation challenges through both the design and construction phases. The final
design phase, which began in March 2001, will be completed by mid 2003. The
immensity of the work requires multiple designs with over seven major construction
contracts for project facilities, including a temporary pretreatment microfiltration (MF) system, MF and
UV pre-selected process systems, the AWTF, the conveyance pipelines, and the barrier
facilities. Standards to maintain consistency in design approach and content and a strict
quality control procedure have been implemented to provide the foundation for a
successful design. Specialized facility teams provide the framework to make and record
the approved technical and management decisions guiding the project. Extensive
contingency planning that was started during the preliminary design is now being
applied to help the project meet strict public health requirements. Combating the
negative public perception of drinking recycled wastewater, a cohesive public outreach
program encompassing public presentations and print and radio/television media
announcements is leading the District's constituents towards ultimate public
acceptance of this project where other similar projects in Southern California have
failed. Includes tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 3.2 MB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 18 |
| Published : | 06/15/2003 |
