LAKEWOOD, Calif., June 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Water Replenishment District
(WRD) has been awarded a $25 million
WaterSMART grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau
of Reclamation for the construction of a groundwater desalination
project - the largest desalination grant awarded in this round.
This project will significantly increase the locally sustainable
drinking water supply for the South Bay by doubling the capacity of
WRD's Desalter located in the city of Torrance. The Torrance Groundwater Desalter
Expansion project will be designed to extract and purify
approximately 10 million gallons a day from a salty groundwater
plume. The removal of this salty groundwater will create
groundwater storage capacity for excess local freshwater and
recycled water for the region to use in future drought years.
The saline plume located under the South Bay is the result of
the over-extraction of groundwater in the early 1900s. This caused
seawater to intrude into the groundwater basin where it mixed with
freshwater; making that groundwater too salty to be used. The
expansion will create a new source of clean drinking water for the
region.
Joy Langford, President of the
WRD Board, expressed her gratitude and optimism for the project,
stating "This grant underscores WRD's commitment to sustainable
water management and will continue our efforts to ensure a reliable
and resilient water future for southern Los Angeles County."
Rob Katherman, WRD Board Vice
President concurred and stated, "We are excited to continue our
collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to deliver
innovative drought-proof solutions that meet the needs of our
residents and safeguard our precious groundwater resources."
WRD is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability and
reliability of water supplies for southern Los Angeles County. By reducing the reliance
on imported water and developing locally sustainable solutions, WRD
is leading the way in innovative water management strategies. For
further information on WRD's Brackish Groundwater Reclamation
Program, please visit
www.wrd.org/brackish-groundwater-reclamation-program.
The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is the regional
groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the
quantity and quality of groundwater for two of the most utilized
urban basins in the State of
California. The service area is home to over ten percent of
California's population residing
in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles
County. WRD is governed by a publicly elected Board of
Directors which includes Joy
Langford., Rob Katherman,
John D. S. Allen, Sergio Calderon, and Vera Robles-DeWitt.
Erika Flores, Water
Replenishment District
(562) 275-4227
eflores@wrd.org
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SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California