DSRSD Says Recycled Water Program Likely Coming to Pleasanton

Information from Dublin San Ramon Services District—

Four agencies that provide water services in the Tri-Valley signed agreements enabling the City of Pleasanton to conduct the necessary environmental reviews to continue to develop a recycled water program. 

Agreements Underscore the Value of Recycled Water. 

If all goes well with the environmental reviews, recycled water will begin to flow into Pleasanton parks, sports grounds, and roadway medians, saving precious potable water. These agreements make best use of a limited supply of potable water, keep a local resource local, and demonstrate how local governments can cooperate for the greater good of the region.  

“With these agreements in place, the reliability of our potable water supply in the Tri-Valley will improve and we will be better able to meet the state’s mandate to use 20 percent less potable water per person by 2020,” said DSRSD District Engineer Dave Requa as he presented the DSRSD-Pleasanton agreement to the DSRSD Board on October 22, five days before he retired. 

Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) and Pleasanton agreed to use as much of the treated wastewater effluent from Pleasanton as possible for recycling and to share recycled water distribution facilities when practical to minimize operating costs.

More than half of the wastewater DSRSD treats at its Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility is from Pleasanton; the rest is from Dublin and southern San Ramon. 

In a separate contract, the DSRSD-EBMUD Recycled Water Authority (DERWA) agreed to provide wholesale recycled water treatment and delivery services to Pleasanton. DERWA is a regional partnership formed by DSRSD and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to produce recycled water to irrigate roadway medians, parks, sports grounds, and golf courses in Dublin, San Ramon, Danville, and Blackhawk. 

“This is an extraordinary moment,” said DERWA Board President and EBMUD Director Frank Mellon at the October 28th DERWA Board meeting. Mellon went on to praise the individuals involved in “plowing this long row, an effort 20 years in the making.” The DSRSD and DERWA Boards of Directors approved their respective agreements in late October.

On November 5, the Pleasanton City Council approved both agreements and authorized staff to initiate environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of their proposed recycling program. These reviews, which will identify significant environmental impacts in order to avoid or mitigate them, are expected to take about a year to complete. 

Daniel Smith, Director of Operation Services for the City of Pleasanton, said, “The City is looking forward to moving along with this recycled water project.” 

Agreement Terms Key terms of these agreements include the following:  
• DERWA will provide up to 40 acre feet per year of recycled water to Pleasanton’s Val Vista Park located next door to DSRSD’s Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (40 acre feet is more than 13 million gallons); 
• DERWA will provide up to 500 acre feet (almost 163 million gallons) per year of recycled water from currently unused wastewater for up to five years from the date when the City of Pleasanton delivers recycled water to customers other than Val Vista Park; 
• DERWA grants the City of Pleasanton the right to acquire 1.9 million gallons per day of recycled water capacity through an expansion of the $17.9 million Jeffrey G. Hansen Water Recycling Plant and pump station one ($6.8 million). Pleasanton will pay its proportionate share of the expansion cost and pay a buy-in contribution of $2,290,320 for existing facilities built with capacity to accommodate such an expansion; 
• Pleasanton has the opportunity to purchase additional capacity by paying its proportionate share of the costs; and, 
• Pleasanton will pay its proportionate share of the operational and maintenance costs to produce recycled water, including DERWA administrative, overhead, and capital equipment replacement costs for production and delivery facilities serving Pleasanton’s recycled water program. 

History of Recycled Water in the Valley 

DSRSD and EBMUD joined forces in 1995 to provide recycled water to irrigate parks, sports fields, golf courses and roadway medians in the San Ramon Valley. They created a joint powers authority, called DERWA (DSRSD/EBMUD Recycled Water Authority), to build and operate a recycled water system which is known as the San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program. 

In 2005, construction of the first phase of the DERWA system was completed and included a 9.7 million gallon per day water recycling plant, three pump stations, two reservoirs, and 16 miles of transmission pipeline (16- to 36-inch diameter pipes).

This backbone system transports recycled water from the treatment plant to the 75 miles (at buildout) of smaller distribution pipelines that deliver to DSRSD and EBMUD customers. DERWA began producing recycled water in February 2006, for delivery by DSRSD and EBMUD to their customers.

By the end of 2006, the San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program had delivered 1,302.98 acre feet (424.579 million gallons) of irrigation water. By 2012, a total of 2,757 acre feet (898.31 million gallons) of recycled water was produced and delivered to DSRSD and EBMUD customers. 

The agreements allowing Pleasanton’s wastewater to be recycled are significant because more wastewater is needed at the DERWA facility to make recycled water for irrigation purposes. During the hottest summer days, when recycled water use is at its peak, 100 percent of Dublin’s wastewater is recycled into irrigation water.

Dublin and San Ramon wastewater comprises 43 percent of the total wastewater treated at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility; Pleasanton wastewater is the remaining 57 percent. Commenting on these historic agreements, former DSRSD Board member Jeffrey G. Hansen, a devoted supporter of recycled water from day one, said, “This was truly a long time in the making, but definitely worth it. I want to compliment everyone Recycled Water Services to Pleasanton Page 5 of 5   involved – DERWA, EBMUD, the City of Pleasanton, and DSRSD. You are implementing what is so obviously a win-win for governance and the environment. Congratulations to all involved.” 

The water treatment plant that produces recycled irrigation water for DERWA was named the Jeffrey G. Hansen Water Recycling Facility when Director Hansen retired from the Board of Directors in 2010 after serving 25 years and being a driving force to bring recycled water to the Valley. 

Incorporated in 1894, more information about the City of Pleasanton can be found at www.cityofpleasantonca.gov. Founded in 1953, Dublin San Ramon Services District (www.dsrsd.com) serves 157,000 people providing potable and recycled water service to Dublin and the Dougherty Valley area of San Ramon, wastewater collection and treatment to Dublin and south San Ramon, and wastewater treatment to Pleasanton (by contract).

EBMUD (www.ebmud.com) was established in 1923 and provides water for 1.3 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and wastewater treatment for 650,000 customers along the east bay shore. DERWA (www.derwa.org) was founded in 1995.