Does Recycled Water Save Energy?

Yes.  Using Recycled Water to irrigate parks, green belts (common areas), schools, commercial properties, and golf courses, conserves potable drinking water for domestic use.

Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District (District) relies on an underground aquifer called the Beaumont Basin to supply Domestic Potable Water to our customers.  Domestic water is pumped out of the  Beaumont Basin and/or Edgar Canyon via groundwater wells.  Portions of this water supply are then boosted to storage tanks where the District can then provide pressurized water to the Domestic water system.  Both groundwater wells and booster pumps use a significant amount of electricity at a cost to our rate payers.  There is also treatment, distribution, sampling, and laboratory analysis of Domestic water supplies that incur additional costs. The use of Recycled Water should take approximately 50% of the energy necessary to pump equivalent groundwater supply.

To replenish the Beaumont Basin aquifer, the District purchases imported water that is subsequently delivered to our Noble Creek Recharge Facility Phase I and Phase II, located east of Beaumont Ave. and North of Brookside Ave.  The ponds at the Noble Creek Recharge Facility provide an opportunity to replenish the Beaumont Basin with imported and local surface water.  This water can then be naturally filtered by the soil as it travels down to the Beaumont Basin where high quality water is stored for future use.

Maximizing the use of local resources, like Recycled Water, reduces the District’s dependence on  imported water supplies by reducing the amount of imported water needed for replenishment of the Beaumont Basin.  Use of Recycled Water should also reduce the electrical, treatment, distribution, sampling, and laboratory analysis cost associated with the delivery of Domestic water.