Recycled Water Uses and Policies
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- Recycled Water Policies
- Recycled Water User Site Specifications
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- Onsite Supervisor Dos and Donts
Recycled Water Used for Construction
Approved Uses
Recycled water can be used for so much more than irrigation!
Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, which regulates recycled water use, allows for the following uses of tertiary treated recycled water (City’s recycled water):
- Irrigation of: food crops, orchards, all landscaping (residential, commercial and public), and pasture for animals.
- Supply for impoundment (lakes/ponds): non-restricted recreational impoundments (swimming allowed), fish hatcheries, and landscape impoundments.
- Supply for cooling or air conditioning: industrial or commercial cooling or air conditioning with cooling tower, evaporative condenser, or spraying that creates a mist
- Other uses: flushing toilets and urinals, priming drain traps, industrial process water that may contact workers, structural and nonstructural fire fighting, decorative fountains, commercial laundries, consolidation of backfill material around potable water pipelines, artificial snow making, industrial boiler feed, soil compaction, mixing concrete, dust control on roads and streets, flushing sanitary sewers, and cleaning roads, sidewalks and outdoor work areas.
The City’s policy, in accordance with State law, is to require recycled water for irrigation for properties adjacent to recycled water main lines, including: multiple family developments, developments with common area irrigated lots, and commercial developments (City Municipal Code 14.23.010-14.23.030.) All other uses, such as single family residences parcels adjacent to the recycled water system, are encouraged but not required to use recycled water on their sites. Incentives to use recycled water include exemption from buy-in fees and much lower per unit cost than potable water.
The City has staff available to help users apply for recycled water use. There are plan specifications that must be followed for recycled water, a user agreement that must be recorded, and other review requirements and site inspections that all sites must go through before the recycled water meter is issued. Please call (805) 897-2672 for more information.