Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility
World Class Leader In Water Reuse
West Basin’s transformation from imported water wholesaler to a leader in conservation and water recycling can be traced back to California’s severe drought period between the late ’80s and early ’90s. In 1992, West Basin received state and federal funding to design and build a world-class, state-of-the-art water recycling treatment facility in the City of El Segundo, with its own water education center. The facility produces approximately 40 million gallons of useable water every day, conserving enough drinking water to meet the needs of 80,000 households for a year. West Basin’s Water Recycling Facility also houses a 60,000 square foot solar power generating system that has reduced emissions of carbon dioxide by over 356 tons in one year’s time. These emissions reductions are equivalent to planting nearly 100 acres of trees or not driving 890,007 miles. To date, $600 million dollars in local, state, and federal funds have been invested in this effort.
Reused Water Tailored to our Customers
The Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) is the largest water recycling facility of its kind in the United States and was recognized by the National Water Research Institute in 2002 as one of only six national centers for water treatment technologies. The ECLWRF is the only treatment facility in the country that produces five different qualities of “designer” or custom-made recycled water that meet the unique needs of West Basin’s municipal, commercial and industrial customers.
The five types of designer water include:
- Tertiary Water (Title 22) for a wide variety of industrial and irrigation uses
- Nitrified Water for industrial cooling towers
- Softened Reverse Osmosis Water: Secondary treated wastewater purified by micro-filtration (MF), followed by reverse osmosis (RO), and disinfection for groundwater recharge
- Pure Reverse Osmosis Water for refinery low-pressure boiler feed water
- Ultra-Pure Reverse Osmosis Water for refinery high-pressure boiler feed water
The facility produces approximately 40 million gallons of useable water every day, conserving enough drinking water to meet the needs of 80,000 households for a year. West Basin’s Water Recycling Facility also houses a 60,000 square foot solar power generating system that has reduced emissions of carbon dioxide by over 356 tons in one year’s time. These emissions reductions are equivalent to planting nearly 100 acres of trees or not driving 890,007 miles.
Environmental Benefits
In addition to reducing our dependence on imported water and increasing reliability in our water supply, West Basin’s recycled water production reduces the amount of treated sewage dumped into Santa Monica Bay by 5 tons a day.
Working with the Water Replenishment District, West Basin supplies 75% of the water injected into the West Coast Groundwater Barrier, conserving 5,000 acre-feet of water each year. Our mutual goal is to increase that amount to 100%. For more information about the Groundwater Barrier, click here
The solar power generated at this facility supplies 10% of our peak energy needs.
Location:
Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility
1935 S. Hughes Way, El Segundo, CA
310-414-0183
Map to facility
Satellite Facilities
View a map of West Basin’s satellite facilities.
Chevron Nitrification Treatment Plant
The Chevron Nitrification Facility, located in the City of El Segundo, California, receives approximately 5 million gallons per day (MGD) of Title 22 recycled water from the WBWRF. The Title 22 recycled water is further treated through a nitrification process for industrial applications. The Phase V Expansion Project may provide the facility improvements to accommodate an additional 0.58 MGD of nitrified water demand.
Juanita Millender-McDonald Carson Regional Water Recycling Plant
The Carson Regional Water Recycling Treatment Facility (Carson Facility), located in the City of Carson, further treats Title 22 recycled water from the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility through Microfiltration, Reverse Osmosis, and Nitrification treatment processes to provide high quality recycled water to a refinery user for boiler-feed and cooling tower applications.
Torrance Refinery Water Recycling Plant
This major industrial user uses over 5,500 acre-feet per year, nearly 6 million gallons per day. This facility nitrifies the recycled water to remove ammonia prior to introduction into the cooling towers. Additional water is used as boiler feed water.
Distribution System
View a map of West Basin’s existing recycled water system.
West Basin Municipal Water District has invested in an extensive recycled water distribution system to ensure water reliability throughout the region. With roughly 100 miles of purple pipeline in place, at least 60 additional miles are being planned. Distributing recycled water for various uses helps conserve drinking quality water for residents and businesses.
