Water Purification Program Produces Near-Distilled Drinking Water Supply

The East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Program and its partner agencies committed to continue program funding to aid in drinking water supply in San Diego, Calif. 

“Working together with our partners, we are moving one step closer to reducing our dependence on imported water and putting the mechanisms in place to support our economy and quality of life well into the future,” said Allen Carlisle, CEO and general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District, according to the East County AWP release.

The program will generate about 11.5 million gal per day of drinking water, which will meet approximately 30% of drinking water demands for residents in Padre Dam and Helix. It will produce water in near-distilled quality, which then will blend with Lake Jennings’ water to be treated at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant. It will then be issued as drinking water.  

The program is expected to start producing water by 2025. According to East County AWP, it also will remove the step of sending the wastewater generated from East County to San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

According to an East County AWP press release, each agency will give $2.35 million toward the program, totaling $9.4 million. The program’s partners include Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of E Cajon, Helix Water District and the County of San Diego. 

The project also will form a Joint Powers Authority between Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of El Cajon, and the County of San Diego. According to East County AWP, this group then will serve as the governing body for the program.