November 14, 2017

Pacific Grove’s Sustainable Water Project

The City of Pacific Grove completed construction of the Pacific Grove Local Water Project in 2017 via a design-build contract. The primary purpose of the project is to produce and distribute high quality recycled water to replace potable water used for non-potable water demands. The project consists of a 0.25 million gallon per day (MGD) Water Recycling Facility (WRF) for the production of 125 acre-feet per year (AFY) of non-potable water primarily for landscape irrigation.
Irrigation occurs primarily during the nighttime and early morning hours to maximize water management efficiency and minimize public contact. Other recycled water uses include toilet and urinal flushing, sewer flushing, street sweeping and construction demands. The recycled irrigation water pumping system is part of this WRF; the irrigation system is maintained by the Golf Course and Cemetery Operator.
The project diverts municipal sewage flows from the existing 15-inch gravity sewer in Asilomar Avenue, through a diversion / influent pump station, which pumps sewage to the WRF. The WRF utilizes Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) technology to treat the influent and produce Title 22 compliant effluent for unrestricted reuse.
The WRF is designed to treat between 0.025 and 0.25 MGD depending on the irrigation water demand. During certain periods (wet weather season) it may be necessary to cease production of reclaimed water and to operate in a biological process maintenance mode.