AWWA ACE95004

This paper looks at Santa Fe Springs, California's water reuse program. During the drought years of the late 1980s and early 90s, the City made the decision to find alternate sources of water to maintain the City's extensive landscaping and parks and attempt to minimize the impact of the drought on business and industry. The first areas to use reclaimed water included several school grounds, parks and public landscaped areas. The City now has three schools, four parks and several landscaped medians being irrigated with reclaimed water. For industrial users to agree to use reclaimed water, questions such as the need for added treatment, reliability, health effects, odors, cross connections, available quantities, system pressure, retrofit costs and the total economics involved had to be answered. Two case studies are provided to illustrate industry's move to water reuse practices.