Project Partners

The Central Basin Recycled Water Project annually delivers about 5,000 acre-feet of recycled water to more than 200 industrial, landscape and irrigation sites throughout southeast Los Angeles County. The project's planning and implementation requires extraordinary partnership and a mutual vision of water management.

Central Basin obtains recycled water from the San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant in Whittier and the Los Coyotes Water Reclamation Plant in Cerritos. Owned and operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, these two reclamation plants produce effluent that meets the most stringent requirements for water recycling as contained in Title 22 of the California Administrative Code. Using reclaimed water from the Sanitation Districts' treatment facilities rather than building new facilities enabled Central Basin to save an estimated $200 million in capital construction costs.

The cooperative effort in developing the Central Basin Recycled Water Project also included regulatory oversight from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Regional Water Quality Control Board and funding from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Cities within Central Basin's service area also provided support that was critical to the project.

In order to efficiently use local resources and keep overhead costs low, Central Basin elected not to hire field operations staff. Instead, Central Basin entered into agreements with other water companies and agencies to operate the facilities in or near their current service area. In addition to its partnership with the Sanitation Districts, Central Basin coordinated its facilities and operations needs with California Water Service Company, Park Water Company and the cities of Santa Fe Springs and Whittier.