Topic: Wastewater

Overview

Wastewater

Water containing wastes – aka wastewater – from residential, commercial and industrial processes requires treatment to remove pollutants prior to discharge. After treatment, the water is suitable for nonconsumption (nonpotable) and even potable use.

In California, water recycling is a critical component of the state’s efforts to use water supplies more efficiently. The state presently recycling about 669,000 acre-feet of water per year and has the potential to reuse an additional two million acre-feet per year. 

Non-potable uses include:

  • landscape and crop irrigation
  • stream and wetlands enhancement
  • industrial processes
  • recreational lakes, fountains and decorative ponds
  •  toilet flushing and gray water applications
  •  as a barrier to protect groundwater supplies from seawater intrusion
  • wetland habitat creation, restoration, and maintenance
  • groundwater recharge
Aquafornia news East Bay Times (San Jose, Calif.)

San Jose: Flash fire prompts emergency response at wastewater plant

A flash fire at the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility prompted an emergency response on Tuesday, but no serious injuries were reported, authorities said. The fire was reported at 10:20 a.m. at the treatment plant on Los Esoteros Road north of Highway 237, according to statement from the San Jose’s Environmental Services Department. Two workers were in an enclosed area at the facility and working with unspecified chemicals when an aerosol ignited, resulting in a small fire, the department said. The workers’ protective gear spared them from being injured, the department said. The San Jose Fire Department was summoned to the site, and the two affected workers were given an “all clear” later in the morning. 

Aquafornia news SJV Water

State proposes administrator to take over troubled East Orosi sewer system

A clearer path forward could be emerging in the tiny Tulare County community of East Orosi, which has long struggled with contaminated drinking water, a decrepit sewer system and dysfunction among elected leaders. The state Water Resources Control Board will be in town Thursday, April 17 to explain why it proposes that the community’s sewer system be run by a new administrator, the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA). … The proposed sewer administration change is a result of Assembly Bill 805, authored by Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September in the backyard of an East Orosi resident. The bill authorizes the state Water Board to intervene when a sewer service provider does not meet regulatory standards or fails to maintain the technical, managerial and financial capacity needed to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. The Water Board can then contract with a new administrator. 

Aquafornia news Inside Climate News

EPA considers giving oil and gas companies more ‘flexibility’ to dispose of highly toxic wastewater

The Trump administration plans to increase “regulatory flexibility” for oil and gas companies trying to find ways to dispose of copious amounts of toxic wastewater. … Fracking generates massive quantities of this toxic wastewater that companies are struggling to manage. … Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s current rule, discharges of produced water are more restricted in the Eastern United States than in the arid West. The agency announced last week that it will revise that regulation to “help unleash American energy.” Among the items it’s considering: expanding the geographic range where treated oilfield wastewater can be discharged into rivers and streams. The EPA also said it will review new opportunities for using treated wastewater for industrial and agricultural applications, including for artificial intelligence and data center cooling, and to irrigate rangeland.

Other EPA news:

Aquafornia news Daily Republic (Fairfield, Calif.)

Vacaville residents can sound off on renewal of discharge system at wastewater treatment plant

Residents have until 5 p.m. April 11 to submit comments on the proposed renewal of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System at the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, 6040 Vaca Station Road. Treated wastewater is discharged to Old Alamo Creek, a tributary of New Alamo Creek, Ulatis Creek, Cache Creek Slough and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … The tentative order includes updated effluent limitations for ammonia nitrogen, nitrate plus nitrite, dichlorobromomethane, dibromochloromethane, and cyanide. It removes effluent limitations for acute whole effluent toxicity and electrical conductivity.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

NPS has an $877M toilet problem, audit finds

National parks are struggling with an $877 million backlog of plumbing problems at restrooms and wastewater facilities with a shortfall of workers needed to make repairs, according to an audit released last week by the Interior Department’s inspector general. Moreover, the park system — which hosted 332 million visits last year at more than 400 sites — also lacks a system to track critical wastewater hazards identified by NPS’ Office of Public Health, the report said. The Office of Inspector General surveyed 30 public health assessments for parks and found 87 critical-level deficiencies such as permit violations for sewage discharges, wastewater spills and other problems. 

Aquafornia news NBC 7 (San Diego)

Sunday sewage spill leads to more problems in Tijuana River Valley

Millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled from a construction site in Tijuana and found its way into San Diego County early Sunday. The spill came after a few days of rain already flushed the polluted Tijuana River Valley. … The international collector is a new pipeline meant to deliver raw sewage to wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. and Mexico. Tijuana crews are currently installing a bypass to prevent sewage from escaping while the new collector is put online. An IBWC spokesman confirmed something happened early Sunday morning but could not elaborate.

Related article:

Aquafornia news San Diego Union-Tribune

Veolia faces new lawsuit over sewage crisis. This time from Coronado Unified School District

Veolia Water North America-West, the federal government’s contractor tasked with maintaining its wastewater treatment plant at the U.S.-Mexico border, is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging failure to contain crossborder sewage. On Monday, the Coronado Unified School District sued the plant operator and its former manager, Mark Wippler, marking the first time a school district joins local municipalities, environmental groups and homeowners that are suing and previously sued the international engineering company and federal government. San Diego-based Frantz Law Group, which opened a mass tort case late last year over similar claims, is representing the school district. It’s unclear whether other South County school districts may join or follow suit.

Aquafornia news Inside Climate News

El Paso is going to turn wastewater into drinking water. Other cities will soon follow

… El Paso’s Pure Water Center, which will go online by 2028, is the first direct-to-distribution reuse facility in the country. Treating wastewater for reuse as drinking water has long been controversial. But as the technology has advanced and water resources dwindle, more cities are exploring direct reuse. El Paso is the first out of the gate, but Phoenix and Tucson are expected to follow suit. Elsewhere in Texas, communities from the Panhandle to the Hill Country are considering their own facilities. Colorado and California recently adopted rules to regulate the treatment technology.

Other water recycling news:

Aquafornia news Border Report

More input sought from Tijuana River Valley residents affected by Mexican sewage, other pollution

Researchers from San Diego State University are launching the second phase of a survey as they study the effects of pollution on Tijuana River Valley residents. For decades, the Valley has been plagued by untreated sewage flows that originate in Mexico. The Tijuana River not only carries the effluent, but also large quantities of chemicals and other pollutants into the U.S. side of the border and the Tijuana River Valley. In recent years, the contamination has gotten worse as Tijuana’s sewage infrastructure has collapsed and is constantly sending millions of gallons of raw sewage north of the border. On a daily basis, the stench can be overwhelming.

Aquafornia news The Desert Review (Brawley, Calif.)

El Centro to invest in new wastewater treatment

The El Centro City Council approved an upgrade to the disinfection system at the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at City Hall. “Ultraviolet light disinfection is the last treatment process to eliminate any remaining bacteria in wastewater before it is released,” Public Works Director and City Engineer Abraham Campos said. The UV-treated water is discharged into the Imperial Irrigation District’s drainage system and ultimately into the Salton Sea, according to city documents.  The existing UV lamps, which have been in use for the past 15 years, will no longer be serviceable as manufacturers and current part suppliers are transitioning to a new system.

Other Imperial Irrigation District news:

Aquafornia news NBC 7 (San Diego)

Mexico finished repairs on wastewater plant: IBWC commissioner

… A spokesperson for the State of Baja California said the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant is nearing completion. The plant has been offline and dumping more than 17 million gallons of raw sewage a day directly into the Pacific Ocean for several years. That raw sewage flows north and has forced the County of San Diego to use the yellow signs from the border to the IB Pier for most of that time. There have been long stretches when the water has been off limits all the way up to Coronado Beach. Mexico began fixing its plant at the beginning of 2024. They said it would be ready by last September. That was five months ago. Last week, Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, the International Boundary and Water Commission commissioner, said it was finally done.

Other coastal water quality news:

Aquafornia news Border Report

Opening of Baja wastewater treatment facility delayed again

A wastewater treatment plant being built six miles south of the border continues to be plagued by delays in construction and now, per a Border Report investigation, design flaws. Originally, the facility was supposed to open last September, but five months later, its future remains in limbo. A source familiar with the plant’s design says initial test-runs have failed due to the type of pumps set in place during construction. He tells Border Report water pumps were installed instead of pumps required for mud, thick fluids and sediment. … Most of (Imperial Beach’s) beaches have been closed for more than two years due to sewage pollution that flows in from Mexico.

Aquafornia news Science News Explores

Some bacteria in wastewater can break down a common plastic

Our planet is awash in plastic pollution. Tiny bits of it, called microplastics, taint the air and our food. Plastic specks have been found everywhere from our bodies to a dolphin’s breath. That’s why scientists keep looking for ways to break down this sturdy material. Now, they’ve discovered a promising new strategy. Bacteria common in wastewater can break down a common type of plastic called PET. That finding could inform new ways to clean up PET pollution, which may make up around half of all the microplastic in wastewater.

Aquafornia news WISH (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Wastewater industry fears impact from Trump regulations

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies says it’s worried about how big cities and utility companies will fund lead pipe replacement and other big projects in the future. Right now, the association says, the federal government provides low-interest loans for those types of projects, but, with a lot of cost cutting happening, those programs could be in danger. If they go away, cities and utility companies will have to borrow money at a higher interest rate, which will lead to higher rates for customers.