What is Recycled or Reclaimed Water?
Recycled water, also known as Reclaimed water is wastewater effluent that has been further treated and disinfected to provide a non-potable supply that is safe and suitable for uses such as landscape irrigation and some industrial processes. It is widely used and accepted throughout the arid and semi-arid portions of the United States as an environmentally responsible way to conserve scarce and expensive water supplies. It has been successfully used in other communities in California and other parts of the country such as Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, and Colorado. Recycled water is the fastest growing water supply in California.

The goal of producing a high quality tertiary effluent suitable for reuse is easily the most important barometer that the District identifies in measuring success. The District commissioned for construction a tertiary treatment system in 1996 and started the tertiary treatment processes in 1997. The District has produced nearly 700 million gallons (MG) per year of Title 22 non-restricted use water. This has been especially important in the Napa Valley area, which has limited water supply and relies on groundwater and imported water for potable water supply. The availability of recycled water has allowed the area to develop recreational facilities including the world famous Chardonnay Golf Course and Vineyards, and Eagle Vines Vineyards and Golf Course.

The District has an extensive Water Reuse program to promote the use of recycled water in the community. District staff has prepared a manual for the program that includes administrative, management and user requirements. A video is provided to all users and is a required component of the worker education program for all users. The Water Reuse Program video demonstrates the “dos and don’ts” for recycled water use and is available in both English and Spanish.

The Water Reuse Program Manual can be used as a model by other organizations, especially the tertiary facilities that have demonstrated a high degree of reliability and routinely exceed CCR Title 22 recycled water treatment requirements. The Napa Sanitation District and Carollo Engineers received the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) Associates Achievement Award in 2003 in recognition of the engineering design of the tertiary treatment processes.

What is the level of treatment and is it safe?
Recycled water is clean, clear and safe! In fact, no health-related incidents have ever been linked to the use of recycled water. Reclaimed water quality standards are more stringent than those for surface streams, rivers, and the Bay. In California, the production, conveyance and use of recycled water is carefully regulated by the California Department of Health Services and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. California’s regulations are some of the most stringent in the world.

Napa Sanitation District (NSD) operates the Soscol Water Recycling Facility (SWRF), which consists of the Soscol Oxidation Ponds, a series of four oxidation ponds with 342 acres total surface acres, physical-chemical treatment processes for solids removal with a design treatment capacity of 15.4 million gallons per day (MGD). The SWRF produces tertiary quality water by employing a continuous up flow backwash sand filter (Parkson Dyna Sand).

The SWRF facility provides secondary treatment of combined domestic and industrial wastewater from the City of Napa and adjacent unincorporated areas, including specific areas in the American Canyon Area. The Soscol Water Recycling Facility provides algae removal for Oxidation Pond effluent prior to filtration through a system of chemical-physical processes. And disinfection capabilities of up to 9.8 MGD of non-restricted use tertiary quality effluent for reclamation. The recycled water meets California Code of Regulations, Title 22 non-restricted use criteria. Major elements of the treatment process are 342 acres of oxidation ponds, two flocculating clarifiers, two conventional activated sludge treatment trains, 2000 square feet of Dyna Sand moving bed sand filters, two hours of chlorine contact basin capacity at design flow of 9.8 MGD, a secondary effluent pump station, a filter support building, a chemical feed building which includes bulk chemical storage areas for coagulants and flocculants, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium bi-sulfite, a 20 acre feet recycled water storage reservoir and a recycled water pump station.

What are the main benefits for the use of recycled water?
Use of reclaimed water benefits everyone in Napa. It maintains a constant water supply for our local landscaping, vineyards, and golf courses. Some additional advantages of this facility include:

• Reduced demand on drinking water and scarce raw water supplies.
• Efficient use of existing facilities and employees.
• City growth can be maintained in a responsible manner.
• Conserving our most precious natural resource??????.Water