Metropolitan Celebrates Four Innovative, Water-Saving Projects
May 02 2024 - 4:18PM
Business Wire
Second annual One Water Awards spotlight Southern California
leaders in conservation, commitment to finding water-efficient
solutions
Four Southern California projects in Los Angeles, Riverside and
San Diego counties that showcase the latest in water efficiency and
together will save more than 200 million gallons of water annually
were recognized today by the Metropolitan Water District.
Held on Tap Water Day and as part of California’s Water
Awareness Month, Metropolitan’s second annual One Water Awards
ceremony at the California Endowment in downtown Los Angeles
honored projects in Carson, Perris, El Cajon and Tarzana funded by
Metropolitan’s Water Savings Incentive Program and Turf Replacement
Program. The projects feature major improvements to water
management operations and equipment such as reusing condensation
from air conditioning and heating systems, recycling irrigation
runoff, switching to sustainable landscaping, and installing more
efficient irrigation systems.
“Extreme drought and climate change require us to think
differently about how we use water,” said Metropolitan board Chair
Adán Ortega, Jr. “The water-saving projects developed by these four
organizations are great examples of the actions that must be taken
to adapt to our changing climate and store water for use when we
need it.”
For example, more than 800 billion gallons of the water
Metropolitan currently has in storage is due to the region’s
investments in conservation, Ortega said. Without these conserved
supplies, the district’s storage reserves would have reached
critically low levels during severe droughts over the past decade,
he added.
“That water is there for the next drought, and we thank these
innovators for doing their part,” Ortega said.
California State University, Dominguez Hills, which is
served by West Basin Municipal Water District, received a One Water
Award for its HVAC condensate recovery project. Conceived by the
university’s engineering students, the project captures and reuses
high-quality water from HVAC condensation at the Carson campus that
was previously lost to sewer drains. The system uses a network of
clear pipes and tanks to collect condensate from various campus
buildings and redirects it for use in the school’s cooling towers,
saving approximately 80,000 gallons of water a year. The project
also serves as an educational lab, attracting hundreds of visitors
annually to learn about water stewardship.
Metropolitan honored Altman Specialty Plants, which is
served by Western Municipal Water District, for an innovative
system at their nursery site that recycles 80% of their irrigation
runoff. Working with Clean Water3 and UC Davis, the Perris grower
uses vegetated wetlands to treat the water and remove harmful
chemicals, and canna plants, barley hay and goldfish to create a
sustainable ecosystem that further breaks down pollutants and
generates high-quality water that can be reused for irrigation. The
system is projected to save 180 million gallons annually.
The Jamacha Park Homeowners Association, a 64-home
community in El Cajon that is served by the San Diego County Water
Authority, was presented with a One Water Award for its work to
replace 58,000 square feet of grass on its pathways and gathering
spaces with more climate-appropriate plants, efficient irrigation
and stormwater retention elements. Using funding from Metropolitan
and SDCWA’s turf replacement programs, and from San Diego County’s
Landscape Optimization Service, the project reduces water use by
80% and is projected to save 270,000 gallons a year.
Tarzana’s El Caballero Country Club, which is served by
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, was honored for
redesigning its golf course to improve environmental
sustainability. In collaboration with Southern California Golf
Association and with incentives from Metropolitan, the golf course
replaced cool-season turf with drought-tolerant, warm-season
Bermuda grass that is known for its year-round playability.
Additional improvements included installing high-efficiency
irrigation equipment and vibrant, low water-use plants, helping to
reduce the course’s water use by 33% and estimated to save 28
million gallons of water per year.
“These organizations are true leaders – they are examples of
what can happen through innovation and a strong commitment to
saving water and creating a more sustainable environment for our
communities,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel
Hagekhalil.
Metropolitan has funded more than 180 projects through its Water
Savings Incentive Program, generating an estimated water savings of
1.5 billion gallons of water per year. The program provides funding
to commercial, industrial, institutional and agricultural customers
that make water efficiency upgrades to their facilities beyond
Metropolitan’s standard commercial rebate programs. It pays up to
$0.60 per 1,000 gallons of water saved annually through customized
projects that are developed by each organization to fit its
needs.
Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program has transformed more
than 200 million square feet of thirsty lawns into sustainable
landscapes – saving enough water to serve about 68,000 homes
annually. For more information on Metropolitan’s conservation
initiatives and rebate programs visit bewaterwise.com.
Note to editors: event photos are available upon request.
Videos highlighting each award-winning project are available
here.
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