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Carson-headquartered West Basin Municipal Water District (WBMWD) recently announced the completion of its recycled water Pump Station Improvements Project, targeting enhanced local water supply and sustainability. The almost $18 million project includes the construction of a new pump station and the installation of a three-megawatt emergency generator at the most critical component of the WBMWD’s renowned water recycling program.
“Forward thinking investments in West Basin’s infrastructure allow the district to serve its recycled water customers and communities with a continuous flow of locally produced recycled water,” said WBMWD Board President Scott Houston. “These strategic improvements reinforce West Basin’s ongoing efforts to diversify our local water supply portfolio and offset the use of imported drinking water with recycled water in order to prepare the district for the needs of tomorrow.”
District-owned assets, located at the city of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa Del Rey, are critical for delivering water to the West Basin Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) in El Segundo and to the recycled water system at large. More than 40 million gallons a day (MGD) of treated sewer water is conveyed from the pump station to the ECLWRF for additional treatment and distribution across West Basin’s service area. Without this system and process, sewer water would otherwise be discharged to the ocean.
As part of the water pump station improvements project, the provided over 30,000 hours of work for union labor contractors as per a Project Labor Agreement. The project provided an infusion of workforce development with the workers consisting of roughly 20 percent local hires and about 45 percent apprentices, which in turn provided on-the-job training and employment for residents of the West Basin service area among others.
The WBMWD’s existing pump station was built in 1994 and triggered the start of the district’s recycled water program. The new stand-alone pump station is located directly north of the original pump station and the new emergency generator provides an uninterrupted source of power in the event of power supply outages. Combined, the new upgrades will aid WBMWD operations in eliminating maintenance issues that could possibly interrupt the district’s recycled water supply. Additionally, the new improvements will aid the district in increasing production capacity to 70 MGD of treated sewer water as downstream demand continues to grow.
