Purified Water Project
About the Project
Valley Water must meet future water demand and identify a sustainable water supply to combat the effects of future droughts and climate change. The Purified Water Project will help reach those water supply goals, which include meeting at least 10% of water demand in Santa Clara County through recycled and purified water. The project will allow Valley Water to develop the use of purified water to supplement existing drinking water sources in a manner that minimizes environmental impacts.
The Purified Water Project is proposing to build an advanced water purification facility at the former Los Altos Treatment Plant site, located on San Antonio Road in the City of Palo Alto. Purified water would be conveyed through nearly 20 miles of underground pipe to Valley Water groundwater recharge ponds in the City of Campbell.
When completed, this project will be capable of providing about 10 million gallons per day of high-quality, drought-resilient water to replenish our groundwater supply for potable use in the county.
About Groundwater Replenishment
Following purification at the treatment facility, purified water is transported through a pipeline system to groundwater recharge ponds. At these ponds, purified water naturally filters through underground soil, gravel, and rock before replenishing groundwater basins. Here, the water will blend with water already in the basin over several months and years before reaching wells for drinking or home use.
What is Purified Water? How is it different from recycled water?
Water has always been nature’s renewable resource. Purifying and recycling water simply speeds up that natural process. Recycled water generally refers to municipal wastewater that has been cleaned and meets requirements for industrial and irrigation use. Purified water is highly treated municipal wastewater that has gone through additional advanced treatment and disinfection to meet and exceed state and federal drinking water standards.
How Safe is Purified Water?
Purified water is safe and meets or exceeds state and federal drinking water standards. It is tested regularly by our certified Water Quality Lab to ensure safety and quality. Upon completion of the Purified Water Project, Valley Water will be able to use purified water to add to our groundwater replenishment efforts. Valley Water will join many other places in the United States and worldwide in using this water purification and replenishment method, including Monterey and Orange counties in California, Texas, Australia, and Singapore. To learn more about how purified water is used as a drinking water source and the purification treatment process, please visit purewater4u.org. There, you can also sign up for tours of the existing Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center.