Recycled Water

Recycled water is wastewater that is purified through multiple levels of treatment. This processed water is treated to strict standards set by the California Department of Health Services and is rigorously monitored by local, state and federal agencies to ensure it continuously meets those standards. Recycled water is safe for irrigation, industrial, and agricultural uses.

More recently, advanced treatment techniques have been utilized to produce highly purified (near distilled quality) recycled water for a wider range of purposes including indirect potable re-use, in which highly purified recycled water is used to recharge underground aquifers.

The use of recycled water helps to conserve drinking water and promote sustainability by reducing the need to import water over long distances or pump our limited groundwater supplies.

Where does recycled water come from?

Recycled water comes from the treatment of wastewater . Wastewater is produced when we use sinks, showers, toilets, appliances and machinery in our homes and businesses. Wastewater is piped through sanitary sewers to wastewater treatment plants where it progresses through stages of treatment of disinfection.

In Los Angeles County, the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County own and operate the largest wastewater recycling program.

The recycled water produced by wastewater treatment plants is sold through local public and private water suppliers. A network of purple pipes and pumps delivers the recycled water to the recycled water users