Ask the Director
Reclaimed Water - The Other Water Source?
Reclaimed water is wastewater, which has been highly treated and then made available for use. It is used in our community for the irrigation of golf courses, parks, and a variety of landscaped areas. The use of reclaimed water by our customers reduces the demand on our water sources, making more water available to our domestic customers. In addition to these benefits, the discharge of our reclaimed water enhances the plants and animal life in the estuary of the Santa Clara River.
Who uses reclaimed water?
We provide water for the landscaping of the Los Angeles Times building on Olivas Park Drive, at the the Olivas Adobe. We also use it for street medians, parkways and lawns in the Ventura Harbor area, and for the City's Marina Park at the South end of Pierpont Boulevard. Our biggest users of reclaimed water are the Ventura's two golf courses, Buenaventura and Olivas Park. All of the landscape irrigation uses at both courses is met with reclaimed water.
Is it safe to use?
Reclaimed water is very safe to use. Our treatment systems provide the maximum levels of treatment available, called Tertiary processes, and include extensive safeguards. We routinely monitor the water for potential toxic contaminants and for proper disinfection. Water reclamation systems in California operate under permits from the State's Regional Water Quality Control Boards and are subject to very stringent regulations which protect the public, the reclaimed water users, and the groundwater which underlies areas where it is used. We also meet the highest standards of the California Department of Health Services. In addition, our delivery system includes storage capacity so that should anything be found by the monitoring programs, there will be adequate time to divert that flow, assuring that no water that is less than the highest quality is ever delivered to our reclaimed water customers.
How much reclaimed water does the City provide?
In dry years, we distribute more than 300 million gallons of reclaimed water to our customers. Even in 1998, when we had quite a lot of rain brought by El Nino conditions, our customers used more than 260 million gallons. That amount of reclaimed water use offsets the demand on the domestic supply of approximately 3000 households. The ability to free that quantity of water to meet other needs is important to the success of Ventura's water supply planning into the next century.
Why don't we reclaim more?
Reclaimed water can provide community benefits in other ways besides reducing demands placed on the domestic water supply. The State requires us to release no less than 5.6 million gallons of reclaimed water daily to the Santa Clara River Estuary. That is about 60% of the reclaimed water available each day. This release replaces some of the historical flow of the Santa Clara River that is now diverted out of the stream for other uses. By doing so, we help to support wetland habitat in the estuary for many plants and animals including several which are listed as endangered. These include the Steelhead, the Tidewater Goby, the California Least Tern and the Snowy Plover. We will continue to expand our uses of reclaimed water as the community grows and as additional quantities of water become available above the needs of the estuary habitat. For more information about our reclaimed water or general questions regarding our Wastewater Treatment Plant, please call Don Davis, Wastewater Superintendent, at 677-4133.
"Ask the Director" Questions:
- Some areas of Ventura's beaches are cleaned more frequently. Why?
- Where are the City beaches and how often are they cleaned?
- Are there volunteer groups which help out with beach maintenance?
- How can we prevent ocean water pollution?
- What is the latest news about fixing the bike path at Surfers Point?
- How does the City figure out when to trim trees and how do I contact the City to have this done?
- The City used to spray olive trees to prevent fruit from developing. What happened to this program?
- What is the neighborhood replanting program and how can I get involved?
- Do I need a permit to use a park?
- Reclaimed water - the other water source?
- My street has potholes and cracks. When will the City fix it?