Providing recycled water for crop irrigation and other uses in Gilroy, California
Date
2007-10
Authors
Smith, Craig J., author
Herston, Benjamin R., author
Vaziry, Saeid, author
U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
The South County Regional Wastewater Authority (SCRWA) delivers recycled water to local farmers, golf courses and parks throughout the City of Gilroy, California, located approximately 30 miles south of San Jose, California. The SCRWA recently completed an expansion to the tertiary treatment system, which included additional tertiary filter banks, a new storage reservoir, additional pumping capacity, and a new delivery pipe with turnouts. With the new facilities on-line, the SCRWA recycled water system consists of 6 million gallons per day of firm tertiary filtration capacity, one on-site recycled water storage reservoirs with a total of 3 million gallons of storage, two recycled water delivery pipelines, and four pumping stations. The new 3 MG reservoir and additional pumping stations at the SCRWA treatment plant are critical in meeting the peak demands of agricultural irrigation. The reservoir enables the treatment plant operators to shave demand peaks and provides the flexibility for the SCRWA to shut down tertiary filters as needed. Having 6 MGD of firm tertiary filter capacity gives the SCRWA the capability of producing enough recycled water to meet existing and future demands. Interest among potential agricultural recycled water users in the Valley is growing as the price for recycled water becomes competitive with the price of pumping groundwater in the area. Farmers see recycled water as an economical and reliable source for crop irrigation. The SCRWA recycled water system has proven to be an excellent source of high quality water for irrigation of farmlands.
Description
Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.