By Peter Davey
Six miles from the Sacramento River, California, Woodland Davis Clean Water Agency (WDCWA) is constructing a new water treatment plant with the aim of ending the dependence on groundwater for the communities of Woodland and Davis. The facility is the culmination of two decades of planning by clean water agencies and was awarded to CH2M Hill in October 2013.
Facing increasingly strict state and federal water quality and wastewater discharge regulations and deteriorating groundwater supplies, the plant will treat approximately 30 MGD of water piped from the Sacramento River, using a conventional sand-ballasted clarifier, followed by ozone and filtration. Two four million gallon tanks will provide storage capacity for treated water.
This will allow the communities to reduce their dependence on groundwater and treated water will be pumped into the aquifers, replenishing them and creating a reservoir for future needs.
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Nitrate and hexavalent chromate contamination has deteriorated groundwater in the area and regulations on the substances have tightened. Water from the Sacramento River, while experiencing high turbidity during storm events, is clean and easy to treat.
While the facility is using tried and true technology without any difficult restrictions, it is located within a state that has been experiencing a severe drought for four years. On January 17, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed a State of Emergency due to severe drought conditions. Since then, successive regulations have restricted water use in the state.
Recently, the government reported that residential water use declined 28.9% in May compared to the same period in 2014. This, the government said, is the result of a 25% mandatory water conservation regulation adopted earlier in the month.
Signs reading “Recycled Water. Do Not Drink” are common on the grounds of condominiums, shopping complexes and public gardens and parks. According to the state government, outdoor water use accounts for 50% of residential use.
While restrictions may still be in place, water from the Woodland Davis facility is scheduled to reach customers by May 2016.
The facility is already embracing water conservation, using effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment plant to aid in dust control and other construction uses.
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