Despite its reputation as a conservative owner, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) is piloting a bold new initiative to produce an additional regional water source through its Regional Recycled Water Program, which aims to take treated sanitation water and purify it to produce high-quality drinking water.

The program includes the use of an advanced water-purification system that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. In light of its efforts to meet Southern California’s need for an additional water source through innovation and efficiency, ENR California named Metropolitan Water District of Southern California its Owner of the Year for 2020.

The $3.4-billion plan could produce up to 150 million gallons of purified water daily, addressing the needs of more than 500,000 homes and industrial facilities. If successful, a full-scale plant could provide recycled water treated from the Carson, Calif., plant—water that is currently discharged into the ocean.

通过处理该地区最大的未开发的废水来源，该计划旨在满足南加州对区域供水的关键需求。近年来，南加州的地下水盆地提供了该地区供水的约30％，其水平下降到了历史性的低谷。通过补充这些盆地，该计划可以提供防旱的水源，以支持该地区未来的增长，其成本与其他当地水资源相当。

Deven Upadhyay, COO and assistant general manager at MWD, says the Regional Recycled Water Program illustrates the water wholesaler’s interest in technical innovation while remaining measured and methodical in its approaches.

“我们倾向于保守和不愿be on the bleeding edge of innovation would be things like water quality,” he says. “Our recycled water program is an innovative program, but we’re doing it in a very cautious way.”

MWD spent 10 years developing the program, launching the first pilot tests last year with the opening of the Regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center.

The $17-million facility—which broke ground in 2017 and opened in October 2019—uses water from the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County’s Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson and purifies it to produce high-quality drinking water.

测试设施的结果将有助于确定MWD和卫生区是否可以在未来几年中开发全面的工厂。治疗过程的新组合始于膜生物反应器，微生物去除氨和其他氮化合物。

Next, using reverse osmosis, pressurized membranes further remove microscopic materials such as bacteria, pharmaceuticals and salts. Finally, ultraviolet light and a powerful oxidant destroy remaining viruses and trace chemical compounds.

The treated water is then added to four groundwater basins in Los Angeles and Orange counties for recharge and storage. Eventually, it is pumped and disinfected again before entering the water supply. While the technologies are not new, this particular process would be a first in the U.S., according to MWD.

Martha Tremblay, the Sanitation Districts’ project manager for the recycled water program, says the program offers an opportunity for two large agencies with significant internal resources to tackle a unique challenge.

Tremblay notes that each partner brings its own expertise. The Sanitation Districts, for example, has extensive experience in biological treatment, while the MWD labs tackle drinking water pathogens such as cryptosporidium and giardia.

特里布莱说：“我们有自己的优势，他们有自己的优势，但我们有共同的目标。”

治疗试验进行中,随钻测量的目的begin the environmental impact report process and preliminary engineering by year’s end, which John Bednarski, chief engineer at MWD, estimates could take 18 to 24 months to complete. Then, after WHO’s approval, the full-scale program, including associated distribution lines, would take about 11 years to design and construct, he says.

多年来，随着衰老基础设施开始失败，大都市的重点主要从新的增长转变为资产管理。如今，升级，翻新，更换和其他资产管理需求约占其年度资本改善计划的80％。目前，其最大的康复工作之一是在其第二个下部饲养项目中，该项目启动了1960年代使用钢的预压力混凝土缸管。这项耗资5.75亿美元的项目始于2017年10月，预计将于2026 - 27年完成。

MWD的广泛资产需求为南加州承包商创造了许多机会。贝德纳尔斯基（Bednarski）的年度支出约为2.5亿美元，表示MWD最多可以进行350个项目。新利18备用网址

A large portion of work is handled in house by Metropolitan’s Engineering Services Group, led by Bednarski. With a staff of 355 employees, a third of the group is dedicated to project management, another third to design and the remainder are involved with construction management, surveying, safety and other disciplines.

Retaining so many in-house resources is an advantage. “Our in-house staff understands what our operations group needs and wants to have done,” Bednarski says. “Every owner has a certain way they like to run their facilities. We don’t have to go through a big wind-up with a consultant every time we [start a project]. We know what we want, and we can respond quickly.”

J.F. Shea副总裁史蒂夫·考克斯（Steve Cox）目前正在为MWD提供四个项目，他说大都会内部能力的简化项目交付。新利18备用网址

他说：“ MWD知道他们想要什么，他们的规格和计划反映了这一点。”“我认为，他们拥有最好的计划和规格。它们是标准化的，很容易遵循。”

除了与J.F. Shea这样的大型承包商工作外，MWD的内部目标还将在其计划中由小型，少数族裔，妇女拥有或资深的企业参与25％的参与。他说：“我们有一个业务推广小组，以确保[小型企业]意识到即将到来的招标机会。”

MWD continues to use traditional design-bid-build delivery methods, which Bednarski says work well with its internal engineering group and provide a good value. Still, he says Metropolitan is not opposed to pursuing alternative-delivery methods in the future, but that would require enabling legislation at the state level.

他说：“回收水计划可能为设计建造或其他方法提供机会。”“我们逐案看这些事情。”