Recycled Water Planning in Santa Rosa Plain
Freshwater availability has become increasingly limited in recent years due to climate events, environmental needs, increasing population and economic demands. This has forced us to think outside of the box and to consider ways we can safely reuse water that has not been traditionally used for drinking.
Enter into the picture Recycled Water – which is water that has been used and then treated to remove impurities to be reused for various purposes, including agricultural and turf irrigation, industrial processes, and environmental restoration.
Recycled water has been and will continue to be an important source of irrigation water to offset the use of local groundwater and other potable water supplies in the Santa Rosa Plain. To support the development of a sustainable water supply portfolio for Sonoma County, the Santa Rosa Plain GSA is collaborating with the local recycled water providers to perform an assessment of additional recycled water opportunities.
During Water Year 2023, it is estimated that approximately 5,000 AFY of recycled water is delivered within the Subbasin for agricultural and landscape irrigation, significantly reducing the need for use of groundwater and other potable water supplies.
This task will build upon and expand this coordinated strategic planning for future recycled water projects that can benefit both the GSA and water recyclers within the Subbasin.
The Recycled Water Planning task will :
- evaluation of existing and future availability, delivery commitments, and constraints;
- assessment of potential recycled water demands from existing groundwater users; and
- preliminary cost and benefit analyses for future options.
Water recycling is an efficient way to reuse and create a dependable water supply while reducing groundwater demand. As water demands increase and ecosystems continue to experience stress of human impacts and a changing climate, water recycling will play an essential role in our water supply resilience.
