FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions and Answers About North Bay Water Reuse Authority (NBWRA) and Recycled Water.
Q: What are the long-term water supply challenges facing the North San Pablo Bay regions of Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties?
A: Surface and groundwater sources are limited, and some local groundwater basins are already over-pumped, which has deteriorated water levels and quality. In addition, a clean, reliable water supply is needed to continue restoration of tidal wetlands in San Pablo Bay. The effects of global warming may further stress local water supplies. Development of recycled water would augment local water supplies and thus help the region overcome the challenges.
Q: What Happens with Treated Wastewater Now?
A: Currently, most wastewater undergoes extensive treatment and is sent unused into rivers and the Bay. It must meet strict governmental regulations on the treatment, timing and quality of the treated wastewater that is released. By increasing treatment to recycled water quality, this high quality resource can be reused productively, rather than wasting and sending it unused into rivers and the Bay.
Q: Is there a regional effort now underway to develop recycled water projects?
A: Five local agencies in the North San Pablo Bay region have begun a coordinated, regional effort to put recycled water to its broadest and most beneficial use. Formed as the North Bay Water Reuse Authority, or NBWRA, the Authority is composed of the five partners: Napa Sanitation District, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, Sonoma County Water Agency, Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District and Novato Sanitary District. Additionally, North Marin Water District and Napa County are providing financial and technical support to the Authority.
In addition there are existing recycled water projects already in use throughout the North San Pablo Bay, Northern California and throughout the World.
Q: What recycled water projects have been proposed by NBWRA?
A: The North Bay Water Reuse Authority has identified a number of places that recycled water can be cost effectively used near existing treatment plants around the North San Pablo Bay Region. While no decisions can be made until environmental, financial, and technical studies are complete, and input has been gathered from potential users and the public, potentially NBWRA may serve recycled water to:
- Novato urban users, including Hamilton Field;
- Southern and Central Sonoma Valley, Carneros East, and the Sears Point area,
- Napa Salt Marsh; and
- Milliken-Sarco-Tulucay (MST) Creek area in Napa County
Q: Will the Recycled Water Go to Every Home and Business in those Areas?
A: No. Generally, the recycled water will only be sent to specific locations where it is cost-effective to send a special purple recycled water pipeline. Generally, recycled water is sent to large users like parks, golf courses and agriculture. In the Napa MST area, there is a proposal to provide it to individual homeowners in an area where the groundwater levels are falling.
Q: What is the difference between drinking water and recycled water?
A: Recycled water is not used for drinking in these projects. Drinking water is distributed in a completely different set of purple pipes. Household use of water for drinking, personal hygiene and other uses are the smallest use of water. More than half of all water in the region is used for outdoor irrigation, which is an ideal use for recycled water.
Q: How will a coordinated, regional development of recycled water projects save money?
A: Instead of going it alone to develop recycled water projects, this coordinated, regional approach provides economies of scale for the planning, engineering and environmental studies. It also maximizes the Authority partners' ability to obtain local, state and federal funding assistance for their projects. The North San Pablo Bay Restoration and Reuse Project has been developed specifically to meet the Bureau of Reclamation's Title XVI funding requirements, as well as requirements for state funding. By matching proposed water recycling projects to the requirements for government funding, the Authority is getting the biggest bang for its buck, thus making the development of vital recycled water projects affordable to local users.
Q: Will increasing the water supply by increasing the use of recycled water in the region facilitate Growth?
A: The purpose of the NBWRA recycled water program is to offset potable water use with recycled water and provide a sustainable supply of water for people and the environment, even in times of drought. This program is neither for nor against growth. The amount of development is set by land use planners in Cities and County's, not by water or wastewater agencies that provide recycled water.
Q: Is the use of recycled water for crop irrigation safe?
A: Yes. In a study (PDF file) of recycled water use by the Napa Sanitation District for vineyard irrigation, carried out by the University of California, it was concluded that the water "is suitable for vineyard irrigation" and that "there were no salinity or toxicity issues that would limit the use of this water." Another study (PDF file) by the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency concluded that "the use of filtered secondary municipal wastewater for irrigation of food crops consumed unprocessed is safe." In samples of crops grown with recycled wastewater, no virus was ever found and levels of naturally occurring bacteria were equivalent to those found in well water-irrigated crops. Additionally, the study showed that marketability, quality and yield of recycled water-irrigated crops were comparable to crops grown with other sources of water.
Q: Will recycled water pollute rivers, creeks, streams, and local groundwater?
A: No. Currently wastewater is treated to a very high level and then sent to rivers, and the Bay. Intensive requirements are designed to ensure that normal wastewater treatment is safe for the environment. Recycled water is treated to an even higher level.
The recycling of water, long past the experimental stage, is in general use throughout the nation and around the world to irrigate crops as well as golf courses, parks, school grounds and other open spaces without any ill effects. It is used satisfactorily in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Daly City and other Bay Area communities. These uses have been shown to be safe and don't impact rivers, creeks, streams or groundwater.
Q: Will expanding the use of recycled water be harmful to children?
A: No. the recycled water from the proposed NBWRA projects would be certified for full body contact. In Los Angeles, there is a river that in summer is made up entirely of recycled water and people have swum in it safely for decades.
In over 70 years of use of recycled water in California, there has never been a documented case of anyone becoming ill from contact with recycled water. School grounds and parks have been irrigated safely with recycled water. Even if a child falls into a pool of recycled water with an open cut, the concern would be for dirt in the cut, not exposure to recycled water. The treatment process used for recycled water, which utilizes a disinfectant, protects against infection. Moreover, public health is protected by the California Department of Health Services' water quality standards and treatment reliability criteria for recycled water.
Q: What are the benefits of recycled water for projects that have been proposed?
A: Among the many benefits of a coordinated, well-planned approach to the use of recycle water are:
- Reliable irrigation water for parks, golf courses, school grounds, other public landscaping, vineyards and other agricultural uses, as well as industrial applications.
- Increased water for wetland habitat restoration and stream flows for riparian habitat and fisheries recovery, and groundwater supplies.
- Less discharge of treated wastewater into San Pablo Bay and its tributaries.
- Increased access to federal and state grants because of regional cooperation.