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LA to double recycled water capacity at Van Nuys wastewater plant
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Mono Lake, on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, has been a point of contention between environmentalists and the DWP for decades.
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The board of the L.A. Department of Water and Power voted Tuesday to nearly double the amount of water it recycles for drinking at the Donald C. Tillman Wastewater Treatment Plant in Van Nuys.
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L.A. to double recycled water capacity at Van Nuys wastewater plant
Why it matters: The city has been retrofitting one of its wastewater treatment plants in Van Nuys to recycle water for drinking in order to boost water supplies in the face of long-term water shortages driven by climate change and overuse. Now, if approved by City Council, the plant will be able to recycle water to its full capacity, producing enough water for a half-million Angelenos as soon as 2028. It’s part of a broader effort to recycle all of the city’s water by 2035.
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Effects beyond L.A.: Officials and supporters of the project say the expansion also can help restore water levels in Mono Lake in the eastern Sierra, where L.A. gets about 2% of its water. The Mono Lake Kootzaduka'a Tribe and water advocates have long fought for a landmark 1994 decision by state water regulators to limit L.A.’s water diversions from the lake to restore it to healthy levels, but those targets still have not been met.
What’s next: The construction project on the Tillman plant is expected to be completed by 2027, with water deliveries beginning as soon as 2028. As for the cost to ratepayers, the recycled water will be cheaper than what the city currently imports from the Colorado River and the Sierra Nevada. The L.A. City Council will next need to approve the board’s recommendation.
Go deeper:
- LA has big plans to recycle more water. Why the city says it’s going to take decades to do it
- California’s new water recycling rules turn wastewater to tap water. What this means for you
- How ocean creatures tell us the complicated story of LA sewage treatment
- I drank recycled sewage to get a taste of SoCal's water future
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