Winter 2018

Major Infrastructure Upgrades Will Increase Daily Capacity of Water Recycling

As part of the District’s Capital Improvement Program, West Basin will temporarily close the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) in El Segundo from February 25 through March 6 while new West Basin equipment is installed at the neighboring City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.

A new stand-alone pump station at Hyperion, and simultaneous improvements at the ECLWRF, will increase the West Basin facility’s reliability. It will also allow the facility capacity to increase to 70 million gallons per day (MGD) of secondary effluent once downstream demand is identified.

The new pump station will be equipped with two 20 MGD pumps with variable frequency drives to control flow, a new medium voltage switchgear and a new three-megawatt emergency generator. Every 40 MGD of secondary effluent that West Basin treats to produce recycled water prevents approximately five tons of bio-solids from entering the ocean.

The upgrade is a critical component of the District’s growing recycled water program, which provides customers and communities with a reliable source of drought-proof, purified water.

For more information on the shutdown and how it will affect recycled water customers, please visit www.westbasin.org/recycledwater/hyperionshutoff.


West Basin Expands Recycled Water Connections in 2017

With more businesses, cities and community organizations recognizing the benefits of utilizing recycled water for purposes such as landscaping and irrigation systems, West Basin successfully completed six new recycled water connections in 2017. These new connections resulted in an estimated total of 110 acre-feet of recycled water use per year. One acre-foot is equivalent to 326,000 gallons, or the amount of water typically used by two average households in a year.

New connections include:

  • Wiseburn Walking Trail, Los Angeles County
  • Vincent Park, City of Redondo Beach
  • Lakers Headquarters, City of El Segundo
  • Carson Park, City of Carson
  • Arthur Lee Johnson Memorial Park, City of Gardena
  • Northrup Grumman, City of Redondo Beach

Recycled water contributes to a diversified water portfolio, allowing customers to utilize it for many purposes. In Southern California recycled water is frequently used in parks, golf courses and various landscape designs. Local refineries and industrial plants have increased recycled water use at facilities, while municipalities continue to explore its use in services such as street cleaning.

In the year ahead, West Basin will continue to focus on expanding the use of this locally-controlled and sustainable water supply throughout its service area. For more information, visit: www.westbasin.org/water-supplies/recycled-water.


Free Rain Barrels and Workshops Teach Water Conservation

Reap the water- and cost-savings benefits of rain and greywater reuse this year.

Now through May 2018, service area residents can register to attend an upcoming West Basin distribution event and receive a free rain barrel for the collection and use of rainwater as an irrigation source for your landscape.

Additionally, West Basin will offer “Rainwater/Greywater” Workshops to teach residents about the benefits of capturing rainwater, as well as offer tips on how to safely and legally reuse greywater from your washing machine in a Laundry-to-Landscape Greywater System.

The two-part workshop series will educate residents on how to reuse both rainwater and greywater, and includes a technical workshop for those who are thinking of installing a system at their homes.

Residents that attend both classes will qualify to receive a free “Greywater Green Landscapebook, a $100 discount on greywater parts, and one-hour in-home technical assistance for the installation of greywater systems.

For more information on dates, locations, eligibility and how to register for the above programs please visit www.westbasin.org/greywater.


Compliance Supervisor Named California-Nevada Section Chair of American Water Works Association

As Environmental Compliance Supervisor Uzi Daniel celebrates 15 years of service with West Basin this year, she also serves as the California-Nevada Section Chair of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), where she represents more than 6,000 members in the largest water supply professional organization in the world.

Passionate about conservation and providing innovative solutions, Daniel details her excitement working as a water industry professional and her new elected role within AWWA.

“It’s phenomenal when you think about what clean drinking water can do for someone. Keeping our drinking water clean is an amazing public health contribution, and I want to invigorate that passion and bring young people back in to the water industry,” she notes.

Daniel, a University of California, Santa Barbara graduate, also received a master’s degree in environmental studies from California State University, Fullerton. Since starting her career with the City of Alhambra in 1996, she has remained an active member of AWWA for more than 22 years. During her time with the organization, she previously served as the Vice Chair at AWWA’s California-Nevada Section. She has also been actively involved in a leadership role with the international nonprofit Water For People committee.

For more information about AWWA, visit www.awwa.org. For more information on Water for People, visit www.waterforpeople.org.


West Basin Offers Greater Public Meeting Access and Transparency

The District introduced a new agenda management system in 2018 to more efficiently organize and provide access to West Basin public meetings.

The new platform promotes public engagement and transparency by providing searchable, online meeting content, including complete Board of Director meeting and committee agendas, memos, minutes, rosters and calendar. There is also an option for individuals to sign up for agenda notifications.

Moving to an electronic system also increases staff efficiency and decreases administrative costs for the District by streamlining the previously manual, paper-driven process. Meeting materials are accessible to the public through the District website homepage, where visitors can click on the “Agendas and Minutes” link to be taken to the new portal.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email