The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2016-17
PLAN AND ASSESS: WASTEWATER RECYCLING
GROUP:
WASTEWATER RECYCLING-WATER RECLAMATION
MEASURE:
RECYCLED WATER BY TYPE OF USE
MESSAGE:
In 2015, agriculture irrigation accounted for 31 percent of California's total recycled water use.
KEY STATISTICS FOR 2016
Urban Recycled Water Use:
254,000
Agriculture Irrigation:
219,000
Indirect Potable Use:
169,000
MEASUREMENTS
Types of Recycled Water Use in California, 2009
Category
Amount (Acre-Feet per Year)
Percentage of Total Recycled
Agriculture Irrigation
Agriculture Irrigation
219,000
33%
Landscape Irrigation
Urban Uses
126,000
19%
Groundwater Recharge
Indirect Potable Reuse
115,000
18%
Seawater Intrusion Barrier
Indirect Potable Reuse
54,000
8%
Industrial
Urban Uses
67,000
10%
Golf Course Irrigation
Urban Uses
56,000
9%
Natural Sys. Restoration, Wetlands, Wildlife
Other
24,000
4%
Recreational Impoundment
Other
28,000
4%
Other
Other
2,000
0%
Geothermal Energy Production
Other
18,000
3%
Commercial
Urban Uses
5,000
1%
TOTAL
-
714,000
-
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
Based on 2015 survey results, 65 percent of all recycled water is used for a combination agriculture (31 percent), landscape irrigation (16 percent), and groundwater recharge (18 percent, i.e., indirect potable use).
WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT
The Strategic Plan Update 2008-2012 for the Water Boards includes a priority to increase sustainable local water supplies available for meeting existing and future beneficial uses by 1,725,000 acre-feet per year, in excess of 2002 levels, by 2015, and ensure adequate water flows for fish and wildlife habitat. The Water Board's 2009 Recycled Water Policy (Policy) is intended to support the Strategic Plan priority to Promote Sustainable Local Water Supplies. Increasing the acceptance and promoting the use of recycled water is a means towards achieving sustainable local water supplies and can result in reduction in greenhouse gases, a significant driver of climate change. The Policy is also intended to encourage beneficial use of, rather than solely disposal of, recycled water. The mission of the Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) is to promote the beneficial use of treated municipal wastewater (water recycling) in order to augment fresh water supplies in California by providing technical and financial assistance to agencies and other stakeholders in support of water recycling projects and research.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Data Source: 2009 Municipal Wastewater Recycling Survey Results. For 2009 survey: Period January, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Reported to State Water Board on November 1, 2011.
Unit of Measure: Amount of Water Recycled in Acre-Feet/year.
Recycled water means water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefore considered a valuable resource. (Water Code � 13050(n)).
Acre-foot
It is defined by the volume of one acre of surface area to a depth of one foot. Since the acre is defined as a chain by a furlong (66 ft � 660 ft) the acre-foot is exactly 43,560 cubic feet. One acre-foot is taken to be the planned water usage of a suburban family household, annually.
Indirect Potable Reuse
The planned incorporation of recycled water into a raw water supply such as in potable water storage reservoirs or a groundwater aquifer, resulting in mixing and assimilation, thus providing an environmental buffer.
