Construction on tertiary water treatment facilities continues
Matt Thompson on site.
–Construction continues on the Tertiary Treatment Facilities Project at the Paso Robles Water Treatment Plant, located at 3200 Sulfur Springs Road in Paso Robles. The new equipment upgrade will allow operators to use an ultraviolet light disinfection process to produce recycled water for the city.
When it’s completed, you’ll see purple pipes transporting the recycled water to the east side of Paso Robles to be used for irrigation athletic fields, golf courses and vineyards.
Waste Water Manager Matt Thompson says, “The $14 million dollar project will save water and money for the city. The ultraviolet light will save the city $250,000 a year in chemical costs. There will be a $75,000 a year increase in power costs, but the net savings will be $175,000 a year. By recycling waste water for irrigation, the city will save water for human consumption.”The Tertiary Treatment Facilities Project includes flow equalization basins, a cloth filtration process, an ultraviolet light disinfection process, a recycled water pond and pump station. When it’s completed, you’ll see purple pipes transporting the recycled water to the east side of Paso Robles to be used for irrigation athletic fields, golf courses and vineyards.
The total cost of the project will be $14.4 million. The city is financing the project with low-interest loans from the State of California. The loan includes $4 million of “principal forgiveness,” which is essentially a grant. The city received the grant to pay for the new water treatment project because of the project’s environmentally innovative features.
The ultraviolet light disinfection process will begin operation soon. The purple pipes will begin transporting water to east Paso Robles in a year or two.
