Celebrating 30 Years of Recycled Water Innovation by West Basin Municipal Water District Apr 29, 2025 Member Submitted News West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin or District) is proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its recycled water program expertise and industry leadership. These three decades (1995-2025) of demonstrated water treatment ingenuity and financial investment into this highly sustainable resource expands our local water supply and reduces the demand for imported drinking water. Since its inception, the District has produced more than 265 billion gallons of recycled water, enough to fill more than 400,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The extreme drought of the late 1980s and early 1990s compelled West Basin to establish a world-class recycled water treatment system to supplement limited drinking water supplies. In 1995 West Basin received state and federal funding to build a world-class water recycling facility, now known as the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) in El Segundo. Today, West Basin operates five facilities including ECLWRF, the Hyperion Pump Station in Playa del Rey, and three satellite treatment plants in Carson, Torrance and El Segundo. Collectively, these facilities produce approximately 40 million gallons per day and more than 11 billion gallons annually, distributing water through a network of more than 100 miles of recycled water pipelines to nearly 600 connections. This system stands as the largest of its kind in the United States and is the only water recycling system in the world that produces five distinct types of recycled water tailored to municipal, commercial and industrial customer needs. “Recycled water has a profound and far-reaching impact on communities in ways many people may not recognize,” said West Basin Board President and Division II Director Gloria Gray. “It serves as a drought mitigation resource, supports agriculture and industrial production, decreases wastewater discharge into the ocean, and can reduce water costs for cities and businesses, which can also impart economic savings for residents. Every drop of recycled water produced is a drop of imported drinking water saved.” Hundreds of South Bay businesses rely on West Basin’s recycled water for landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, boiler feed water and more including SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome, Chevron in El Segundo and Los Angeles International Airport. By using recycled water instead of potable water for industrial and commercial applications, West Basin conserves drinking water for local communities. In the past 30 years, the program has conserved enough drinking water to supply 9.8 million people for an entire year. In addition to decreasing the region’s carbon footprint by reducing demand on imported water, West Basin’s recycled water production contributes to other regional environmental sustainability efforts. Producing recycled water significantly reduces the amount of treated wastewater entering Santa Monica Bay from the City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant. West Basin’s advanced treated and disinfected recycled water is also injected into the groundwater basin to create a barrier against seawater intrusion and protects local underground drinking water supplies. “The 30th anniversary of the West Basin recycled water program reaffirms the District’s commitment to water resiliency and recognizes its customers’ dedication to collectively shaping a sustainable water future for Southern California,” says Gray. “Looking ahead, West Basin remains committed to advancing water recycling and continuing to secure a strong foundation for green jobs for the next 30 years and beyond.” The District will be hosting 30th anniversary public tours at the ECLWRF throughout the rest of the year. For more information about the tours and West Basin’s acclaimed recycled water program, visit www.westbasin.org/30-years.
