Santee will soon become the first city in San Diego County
to use partially treated or reclaimed water for street sweeping rather than
drinking water.
The switch to reclaimed water will save a small amount of money. But more importantly, it will reduce the use
of potable water by 60,000 gallons each year and add to our region’s water
conservation efforts.
“Although the cost savings is minimal, switching to
reclaimed water is a great idea because it conserves a valuable resource:
drinking water,” said Kathy Valverde, who oversees the city’s Sustainability
Program. “It may seem like an obvious
alternative, but we’ll actually be the first city in the region to accomplish
this.” The change was a collaborative effort between the City of Santee, CleanTECH San Diego and Padre Dam Municipal Water District. It was also a change that took three years to accomplish because it required complicated approvals from the California Department of Public Health and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, a state agency that enforces the federal Clean Water Act.
Padre Dam is installing special filling stations at five
locations throughout the city where street sweepers can fill up with reclaimed
water. The district will also provide required
training for street sweeping crews on procedures to prevent reclaimed water
from cross connecting with the potable water system.
While the city will be saving potable water as a result of
the switch, the state approvals will also allow Padre Dam to save over 1
million gallons of drinking water annually, which are used to clean and
maintain the sewer system.
Canon Pacific, which currently contracts with Santee for
street sweeping, has been cooperating with the switch to reclaimed water and
has agreed to retrofit its equipment. The
city will also require the use of reclaimed water for street sweeping in future
contracts.
“As a water conservation measure, I hope the switch will be
one that other cities and water districts can model,” said Valverde.
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