WRD Service Area in Southern LA County
43 Cities
> 4 million people
Groundwater is nearly 50% of water supply
370 active production wells
50 foot drop
1900s-1950s OVERDRAFT
(pumping was double the natural supply)
Plunging Water Levels
Loss of Supply
Wells Going Dry
Seawater Intrusion Along the Coast
160 foot drop
Results of Groundwater Management…
Rising Water Levels
Sustainability
Water Quality Protection
Seawater Intrusion Control
Since WRD Formation (1959): 7 Million AF through spreading
grounds 1.6 million AF through seawater barrier
injection wells
Managed Aquifer Recharge
Montebello Forebay Spreading Grounds
Alamitos Barrier
Dominguez Gap Barrier
West Coast Barrier
New GRIP
AWTF
Replenishment Facilities
Replenishment Water Sources
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Began using recycled water for recharge at the Montebello Forebay Spreading Grounds (1962)
Began using recycled water for injection (1994)
Imported Water Recycled Water
Local Water AFY
Water year
Control Pumping Legal Action (adjudication) in 1960s reduced pumping to 281,835.25 acre feet per year (~ 92 billion gallons per year)
WRD’s Formation and Solutions to Save Groundwater
Adjudication Central Basin West Basin Total Unused Rights
FY 15-16 182,760 31,635 214,395 67,440
FY 16-17 183,154 26,805 209,959 71,876
FY 17-18 Projected 217,300 64,535
Seawater Intrusion Extent
Groundwater Flow Direction
3.75 miles
With over-pumping in the West Coast Basin seawater encroached intruded the fresh water aquifer
Plume movement inland calculated at ~ 250 ft/yr
Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter
Constructed in 2002 with product water delivery to City of Torrance Design capacity 2.5 mgd
Expansion completed in December 2017 New capacity 5.0 mgd
Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter
Intake Two wells (offsite and offsite)
Discharge LACSD sewer
Treatment Cartridge filter Reverse Osmosis Post Treatment
Capacity 5.0 MGD
Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter
Regional Brackish Water Reclamation Program - Overview WRD and 6 Stakeholder Agency Process
LADWP City of Torrance City of Manhattan Beach California Water Service Golden State Water Company West Basin MWD
Evaluate Siting West Coast Groundwater Basin Multiple facilities Single facility
Evaluate Facility Size 600,000 AF plume size 5,000 AFY up to 20,000 AFY
Evaluate Intake Primarily Silverado Aquifer Existing or abandoned wells New wells
Evaluate Potable Water Connection Local retailer systems MWD feeders
Evaluate Discharge LACSD sewer system Ocean discharge
An impaired groundwater resource will be recovered and put to beneficial use
Regional benefit of groundwater cleanup and reducing seawater contamination of nearby wells
Create additional groundwater storage
Local users decrease their reliance on imported water, further “drought proofing” local communities.
Regional Brackish Water Reclamation Program - Benefits
Current Stage of Program Development - Feasibility Study
Feasibility Study Determine the purpose and need for the project Determine site and associated treatment capacity Analyze project level alternatives Determine a preferred alternative(s) Identify implementation steps
Expected Feasibility Study Budget $1.4M for Feasibility Study and Pre-CEQA+ Analysis
Scope of Work Analysis of alternatives- screening & detailed
Intakes Treatment Pipeline routes Storage Siting Brine disposal Power Supply
Release RFP for Feasibility Study – February 2018 Perform Feasibility Study – April 2018 – April 2019 CEQA/+ and NEPA Project(s) Implementation
Next Steps