Water Reclamation in Los Angeles

Because of its location in a semi-arid region where the bulk of its water resources must be imported, the City of Los Angeles has been studying water reclamation on pilot plant and small operational scales since 1927. The increasing cost of imported waters with the stabilization in wastewater quality arising from excellent source control and reliable treatment processes have made reuse possible in certain specific cases. Determination of such specific reuse is dependent upon factors such as economic competitiveness with other sources, quality needs, treatment available, governmental approval, and psychological acceptability to the public. In the City of Los Angeles, these factors are now such that design and construction leading towards large-scale reclamation for uses such as aquifer injection as a seawater barrier, surface spreading for water supply augmentation, industrial cooling, and park irrigation are now under way.