The Regional Water Recycling Plant No. 5 (RP-5) in California is undergoing a $330 million expansion project to increase its liquid treatment capacity from 16.3 million gallons per day to 22.5 million gallons per day. The project will also include the construction of a solids treatment facility. The expansion will be funded through a combination of low-interest rate loans and grants from the EPA and the state of California. The project aims to meet all regulatory requirements, be energy-efficient and continue to provide recycled water to the growing service area. The expansion will include the construction of a new membrane bioreactor, primary clarifiers and fine screen facility, while the solids treatment facility will include a rotary drum thickening building, digester facilities, centrifuge dewatering building and more.
it is interesting to see the expansion plans for the Regional Water Recycling Plant No. 5, and it gives me hope that this will cause a movement, or possibel encouragement for other states to follow the footsteps of California. It’s great to see that the plant will be constructed with the environment in mind, meeting all regulatory requirements and utilizing energy-efficient equipment. The funding sources are also noteworthy, with a significant loan from the EPA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and the State of California Clean Water State Revolving Fund, prior to this energy effcient programs did not receive much government or private funding, so this is an encouraging sign. Overall, this project shows a commitment to ensuring a sustainable water supply for the growing service area.
Interesting trend we are watching here, Jack. Where is this project happening I wonder? Especially in the West we should be ramping up this as part of our resiliency to climate change. But as you pointed out, we are getting federal funding for it… which means East Coast tax payers are paying too. Do you think they should have to? We will need more project like this- how do we pay? You can imagine there would be some resistance from people outside of our region?
Thanks for all your contributions on this topic, Jack. Water will remain a huge issue for us. Hope this topic kept you interested and you feel extra informed.
Thanks for commenting Mr. Powell, I definitely agree, the economic logistics behind wastewater treatment is the biggest issue, and government funding means it also comes out of citizens out of state who aren’t affected by California’s drought. I believe that there is no easy solution as there is no way to justify more taxes on California citizens, so adjusting the budget would be the best bet to make wastewater treatments more feasible.