Water district: on advanced purification

In the midst of exceptional drought conditions, a new, locally controlled, drought-proof water source for Silicon Valley could not have come at a better time. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, in partnership with the cities of San José and Santa Clara, is celebrating the completion of the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.
Located in northern San José off Zanker Road, the new purification center is already producing up to 8 million gallons a day of highly purified water. This is then blended with the treated wastewater supply produced at the adjacent San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, resulting in an enhanced quality of recycled water for use in our regional purple pipe water delivery system.
The new facility is using advanced technologies to purify water which has already undergone two levels of conventional wastewater treatment. At the new purification center, the water goes through three additional high-tech processes—microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light—to produce water that is so pure, it is expected to match drinking water quality.
Instead of going to the bay, this water will be used for industrial cooling towers, golf courses, median strips and the like, throughout San José, Milpitas and Santa Clara. Recycled water customers are thrilled with the enhanced recycled water, which has a lower level of total dissolved solids. This helps reduce chemical use and maintenance costs for industrial users, and is easier on some plant species because it reduces salt buildup.
The new facility uses the same processes used in a massive water purification plant in Orange County. Their facility, called the Groundwater Replenishment System, produces 70 million gallons a day which is used to replenish Orange County’s groundwater basin. This is the purest drinking water source available in the county, and actually improves groundwater quality.
Because recycled water can help us through a series of dry years, such as we are currently experiencing, the water district has ambitious plans to increase the use of recycled and advanced purified water.
Recycled water has been used successfully in Santa Clara County for decades. Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Gilroy all produce recycled water from their wastewater facilities. In Sunnyvale, we are helping to fund a pipeline that will bring recycled water to the new Apple campus. In Gilroy, we are building new pipelines to expand the system to serve more customers, including farmers, golf courses and parks.
Today, recycled water makes up about 5 percent of the county’s total water demands. By 2025, we hope to double that number. The new purification center is one important step to reaching that goal. Not only does it make recycled water more attractive to existing and potential customers, it is demonstrating proven technologies to produce high quality water that can be used for various potential uses, including expanding drinking water supplies.
It is our job to plan for the future water needs of Silicon Valley. We know that future will require us to conserve much more than we do today. Even with aggressive conservation savings, we need the additional security of a locally controlled, drought-proof water supply. Along with conservation, advanced purified water will help us to meet all future growth—and associated water supply needs—of our county. 
Additionally, the South County Regional Waste Water Authority (SCRWA) Facility in Gilroy, serving Morgan Hill and Gilroy has also been expanding and extending its recycled water pipelines, significantly, in Gilroy. It will soon be recycling nearly 25% of all wastewater that comes into the plant. Fortunately, water is a reusable resource. The water we drink today may have once quenched the thirst of dinosaurs, pyramid builders and even your upstream neighbors. We can replicate the cleaning power of the natural water cycle with proven technology doing what Mother Nature would do… only faster.
We invite you to visit purewater4u.org to take a virtual tour or sign up for an actual tour of the new center.
And please remember to use water wisely: valleywater.org/drought2014.
Submitted on behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. For further information, contact your elected district representative, Dennis Kennedy, at 408-265-2600.