Program Objective
To address the need for a resilient and independent water supply for Los Angeles, LADWP is pursuing a major initiative aimed at maximizing production of purified recycled water from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant to replenish the city’s groundwater basins. The Hyperion Water Reuse and Resiliency Program will help meet Mayor Garcetti’s 2019 Green New Deal goal to recycle 100% of available treated wastewater for beneficial reuse from Hyperion by 2035.
This new independent water supply will reduce L.A.’s reliance on imported water that must travel hundreds of miles and is vulnerable to drought, earthquakes, climate change and other natural disasters. By replenishing groundwater aquifers in Los Angeles, the program will potentially meet up to a third of the city’s water demand.
Program Description
The Hyperion Water Reuse and Resiliency Program is a partnership among LADWP, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN), the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). Currently in the planning stages, the program has five key components:
- LASAN will retrofit Hyperion with advanced treatment facilities producing up to 170 million gallons per day (MGD) of purified recycled water.
- LADWP will collaborate with WRD on determining the most optimal locations to convey this purified recycled water into the underlying aquifers within the West Coast and Central Groundwater Basins to utilize up to 450,000 acre-feet of available storage.
- LADWP will pump the groundwater for distribution into potable system.
- LADWP will construct a new pipeline to the San Fernando Valley to replenish the San Fernando Groundwater Basin.
- LADWP will potentially convey water to the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant (LAAFP) and MWD’s Regional Recycled Water Program’s Backbone System.
Program Benefits
- Recycle 100% of Hyperion wastewater by 2035.
- Increase local water supplies to offset imported water.
- Build a resilient storage supply in local groundwater basins.
- Mitigate potential impacts of climate change and drought.
Guiding Policy Documents
- LADWP/WRD Joint Master Plan
- LADWP Groundwater Development and Augmentation Plan
- LADWP Urban Water Management Plan 2020
- 2019 Sustainable City pLAn (Green New Deal) and Mayor’s Executive Directive No. 5
- One Water LA 2040 Plan
Ongoing Efforts
- Hyperion Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) Demonstration Project with LASAN and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA).
- Hyperion Nitrified-Denitrified (NdN) Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Pilot Facility with LASAN and West Basin Municipal Water District.
- Agreement with MWD to evaluate integration of the City’s and MWD’s Programs.
Next Steps
- Initiate a programmatic EIR, mid-2020.
- Work with partners to develop a robust stakeholder and community outreach plan.
- Evaluate potential funding mechanisms including external funding sources.
- Explore opportunities for a Joint Powers Authority with other program participants as a mechanism to more effectively manage and fund the program.
- Undertake a pilot injection well project to validate preliminary groundwater modeling efforts in the Central and West Coast Groundwater Basins.
Hyperion Water Reuse and Resiliency Fact Sheet
