Project Benefits
The Water Reuse Project would allow the City to produce about 2,000 acre feet per year (AFY), or 650 million gallons, of recycled water at the Benicia Wastewater Treatment Plant. By sending all or most of that water to one of the City’s largest water users, the Refinery, we accomplish a number of objectives:
- Increases annual potable water supply available to residents and businesses by 2,000 acre feet, which represents 20 to 25 percent of the City’s overall water needs. During periods when SWP supply is not limited, this water can be banked in Lake Berryessa for use during times of shortages, thus reducing the need to purchase imported water at premium rates.
- The highly-treated recycled water produced would meet State of California rules for unrestricted non-potable use for industrial, irrigation, dust control, and residential use. Recycled water will be available to citizens, construction contractors and for irrigation of parks and other locations near the pipeline
- A year-round, high-demand water reuse customer allows cost-effective production of recycled water, because of lower pipeline construction costs and economies of scale. It has an additional benefit of reducing discharge to the San Francisco Bay and the activities associated with complying with current and future discharge regulations. Flexibility can be built into the recycled water project to serve smaller, seasonal, irrigation or industrial customers now and in the future.
- Because a lower level of treatment meets Valero’s needs, this recycled water project is less expensive than one studied in 2008. In 2008, the need for higher recycled water quality was driven by using recycled water in Valero’s boiler feed water system, which required highly treated recycled water using reverse osmosis. The current study targets recycled water use in the Refinery’s cooling tower system only, and water quality that can be achieved with less-expensive treatment. .
- The tertiary treated water produced at the treatment plant will assist the City in complying with potential nutrient regulations for continued discharge to the San Francisco Bay.