Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project

This project was awarded the 2023 AAEES E3S Grand Prize in Planning. The Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project (Project) is the first major step towards achieving 100% reuse of available wastewater within the City of Los Angeles (City). The Project has been in development for over a decade through research of treatment technologies, pilot studies, planning reports, groundwater modeling, and coordination with an independent advisory panel. In February of 2023, the City executed a design-build contract to begin design of an advanced water purification facility (AWPF) located at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant (DCTWRP) where purified recycled water will be produced for infiltration into the San Fernando groundwater basin. In order to maximize AWPF production and the benefit of the project, the City is working both upstream and downstream of the AWPF. Upstream of the AWPF, the City is studying flow maximization and increase options. Downstream of the AWPF, the City is developing a strategy to maximize infiltration into the San Fernando groundwater basin, balancing the challenges of introducing a new source of water for the City in a basin that is simultaneously undergoing remediation efforts. Once the Project is complete, enough water for up to 250,000 residents will be produced at a cost-effective rate competitive with imported water throughout the lifetime of the Project.