Water Recycling Projects

South Sacramento Agriculture &
Habitat Lands Water Recycling Program

Program Overview

Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCSD), in collaboration with regional stakeholders, is developing the South Sacramento County Agriculture & Habitat Lands Recycled Water Program (South County Ag Program). The South County Ag Program would provide a safe and reliable supply of tertiary treated water for agricultural uses, reduce groundwater pumping, support habitat restoration efforts and provide near-term benefits to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the region.

The South County Ag program proposes to use Title 22 tertiary treated recycled water on allowed crops (e.g. alfalfa, irrigated pastures, etc.) to irrigate permanent agriculture lands and habitat mitigation lands through new recycled water transmission and distribution systems. The amount of water saved is equivalent to the potable water needs of up to 65,000 homes in the Sacramento region. The program could also help improve water sustainability in the Sacramento region and contribute to the Delta ecosystem restoration efforts.

This "green program" has the capability of being phased and expanded as funding is secured. SRCSD staff are pursuing the medium program option. The medium program option will provide multiple benefits including protection of surface water and groundwater supplies by providing up to 34,000 acre-feet (AF) per year of recycled water to irrigate up to 18,000 acres of permanent agriculture and habitat lands located in south Sacramento County.

If additional funding is secured, SRCSD staff will have the option to pursue the large program alternative. At final build-out, the large program has the potential to provide up to 52,000 AF per year of recycled water and the capacity to irrigate up to 18,000 acres of agricultural, habitat mitigation and conservation lands, which could make it one of the largest water recycling programs in the state.

The South County Ag Program provides multiple benefits and has regional and statewide benefits as water resources struggle to meet growing water demands.

Costs and Funding

The program is flexible and can be built in phases to facilitate its financing and constructability. The costs to implement the South County Ag Program are being refined as part of an ongoing feasibility study. The preliminary cost estimates indicate that this program is competitive compared to other water recycling programs in the state.

SRCSD is actively seeking local, state, and federal funding assistance to support implementation of the South County Ag Program. In May 2012, the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) notified SRCSD that its grant application through Reclamation's Title XVI Program was selected to receive $110,000 in grant funding. This grant will help SRCSD to develop a Title XVI Feasibility Study that will eventually allow SRCSD to pursue construction grant funding to implement the program.

Program Benefits

This South County Ag Program has numerous regional and environmental benefits, including:

• Use of recycled water in-lieu of potable water supplies to meet non-potable water demands
• A drought proof, reliable, and sustainable water supply for agriculture and habitat lands
• Reuses highly treated wastewater instead of discharging to the Sacramento River
• Supports the State and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation goals for increased use of recycled water
• Conserves surface water and groundwater supplies
• Helps recover the over-drafted local groundwater table
• Regulated use of recycled water is safe for crop irrigation
• Supported by a wide range of stakeholders
• Program costs are competitive compared to the development of new water supplies
• Program is flexible and can be phased

Program Documents

• News Releases
  • April 2013 (478K pdf*)
  • December 2012 (176K pdf*)
• Informational Sheets
  • Project Summary (638K pdf*)
  • Issue Brief (707K pdf*)
  • Program Fact Sheet (127K pdf*)
  • Recycled Water Quality for Agricultural and Environmental Reuse Projects
  • Summary of Select Recycled Water Projects for Wetlands
  • Cost Comparison with other Recycled Water Projects in California
  • Local and Statewide Recycled Water Efforts
• Maps
  • Projected Benefits to the Groundwater Table (high recycled water use) (240K pdf*)
  • Projected Benefits to the Groundwater Table (low recycled water use (302K pdf*)
  • Projected Benefits to the Cosumnes River (147K pdf*)
• Project Brochure (691K pdf*)
• Letters of Support
  • Sacramento Water Recycling Coalition (395K pdf*)
  • Letter from Congresswoman Barbara Boxer (348K pdf*)
  • Letter from Congressman John Garamendi (271K pdf*)
  • Letter from Congresswoman Doris Matsui (1,218K pdf*)

Program Stakeholders

The South County Ag Program is supported by a wide-range of stakeholders. Here is a listing of those supporters:

Program Timeline

SRCSD is actively seeking local, state, and federal funding assistance to develop and ultimately implement the South County Ag Program. The below program timeline is based on SRCSD securing said funding.

Other Potential Projects

• Water Recycling Opportunities Study Executive Summary (3,416K pdf*)

Questions

We encourage you to check this Web site for updated program information. If you'd like to speak with someone regarding this program, please contact Jose Ramirez at 916-876-6059 or via email at ramirezj@sacsewer.com.

*Requires Adobe Acrobat's free reader, avaliable from Adobe. If you have problems with PDF files on this site, please see our Accessibility Assistance Page.

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