Connections Article

California farmers benefit from unique water reuse facility

October 30, 2024

Escondido reuse plant

Escondido water reuse plant ribbon cutting.

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AWWA Articles

California farmers benefit from unique water reuse facility

A new $65 million water reuse treatment facility in Escondido, California, provides local farmers with a high-quality, lower-cost alternative to potable water.

The AgX MFRO facility —the first in California to be used solely for agriculture—uses membrane filtration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO) to produce up to 2 million gallons of water per day. The facility treats a portion of the city’s recycled water supply from a city resource recovery plant.

AgX MFRO blends the treated water with untreated recycled water to produce water with a salt concentration suitable for irrigation. The blended water is pumped through a one-mile pipeline to agricultural users, mainly avocado orchards. The new facility helps reduce the burden on Escondido’s wastewater infrastructure and outfall, which was reaching capacity.

Farmers pay lower water rates, a separate revenue stream is established for the City, and there is less demand on potable water supplies.

Angela Morrow

“This is an important milestone for Escondido’s recycled water system,” said Angela Morrow, the City of Escondido’s director of utilities. “The MFRO facility will provide a reliable, affordable, and high-quality water supply to our agriculture community for generations to come while beneficially reusing wastewater and reducing our reliance on imported water.”

The city partnered with Filanc Brown and Caldwell Joint Venture to construct the facility, which was completed in November 2023.

A portion of the cost, $45 million, was funded through the State Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance, including loans from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Water Recycling Proposition 68 and a grant from Water Recycling Proposition 1. In addition, funding for the project was also provided in part through agreements with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the State of California, Department of Water Resources.

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