News

Olivenhain Municipal Water District began serving recycled water today to the new commercial building at 777 North El Camino Real in Encinitas. Irrigating the property with recycled instead of potable water will save more than 7,500 gallons of imported drinking water each year.

“Converting our commercial customers to recycled water for irrigation is of the utmost importance” said OMWD Board Secretary Larry Watt. “Our region is dependent on the Colorado River for drinking water and available supplies on the river have been slowly declining for decades. Every customer we convert to recycled water makes us more drought resilient.”

Recycled water is locally produced, disinfected wastewater that is used for irrigation, and is not only a drought-resilient supply, but also costs less than potable water. OMWD produces up to two million gallons of recycled water daily at its 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility and supplements this supply with recycled water purchased from neighboring water and wastewater agencies.

“Converting our irrigation meter to recycled water was a good decision,” said Project Manager Jason Van Engelenhoven. “We can now irrigate our property without contributing to the ongoing water supply crisis and won’t be as impacted by future drought regulations that might limit watering schedules. OMWD has been very helpful in the conversion effort and we are very grateful for their guidance.”

By partnering with other agencies and sharing resources across jurisdictional boundaries, OMWD is able to continue expanding its recycled water distribution system. In total, OMWD meets up to 15 percent of its demands with recycled water.