Point Loma Treatment Plant Cleared by EPA to Treat Recycled Water For Drinking

Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant circled in red.

KPBS reports:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board finalized a wastewater discharge permit for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant to protect ocean water quality and increase water reuse, it was announced Monday.

What this means is the permit will allow San Diego’s system to “divert up to 83 million gallons of Point Loma wastewater per day from ocean discharges. That water will be purified and sent to local reservoirs. By 2035, the Pure Water program is expected to generate one-third of the potable water supply needed for San Diego and surrounding communities.”

The city will rely in part on its Pure Water San Diego program to achieve the standards outlined in the permit. The program will use advanced water purification technology to filter recycled water to produce a reliable source of potable water.

Alexis Strauss, the EPA’s acting regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest, stated:

“The permit will protect coastal waters through its stringent terms and by reducing discharges to the ocean.

In addition, this permit goes beyond what is necessary to meet federal and state discharge permit requirements and will require the facility to implement a water reuse program to provide a safe, reliable water supply for San Diego.”

David Gibson, executive officer for the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, said:

“The approval of the joint permit and the variance are an important milestone in the protection of both coastal water quality and improvement of local water supply reliability.

The collaborative efforts of the state and regional water boards, U.S. EPA and environmental advocates have resulted in a permit and variance that advances the restoration of coastal water quality and augments municipal water supplies with high quality, safe water for the benefit of present and future generations.”