Water Reclamation

The City of San Diego is a leader in maximizing the conservation of both water and energy as part of the wastewater treatment process. Because San Diego imports approximately 90 percent of its water, the City has developed innovative ways to reuse our wastewater as a resource.

Reclaimed water is wastewater that undergoes stringent treatment in a way that replicates nature's own cleansing process. The North City Water Reclamation Plant has the capacity to treat up to 30 million gallons of wastewater per day. The South Bay Water Reclamation Plant has a 15 million gallon per day capacity. As an important part of the long-term water supply, the reclaimed water these two plants produce is a highly treated, filtered and disinfected product that meets strict state and federal criteria for reclaimed water.

Distributed by the City's Water Department in its own purple-colored distribution system, reclaimed water is used for landscaping irrigation on golf courses, residential common areas, freeways, and for some industrial processes.

For more information on Reclaimed Water, contact 619-533-5273.