Modesto, California

MODESTO, CAL I FORNI A used to be discharged into the San Joaquin River that flows right into the ocean. It was just a way for us to get rid of wastewater. But since we’re able to treat it to recycled water levels now, based on our new permit, the City of Modesto is now working with our partners at the Del Puerto Water District and the City of Turlock to develop a program where we would invest in infrastructure, construct it, and then deliver what was viewed as a waste product – and now there’s a beneficial use for that water.” Modesto is now delivering almost 15 million gallons a day, 365 days a year, into the Delta- Mendota Canal, where the drought-restricted Del Puerto Water District (a customer of the city) uses it for irrigation of their land. What they don’t use, produces an environmental benefit, as that water is transferred down to a wetlands for its water supply and for the wildlife refuge. The North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program is a fantastic environmental and economic project for the region. It benefits the farmers, has completed its portion of the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. That project is a new pump station, a half-mile horizontal directional drill underneath the San Joaquin River, seven miles of pipeline through county roads, and a discharge outfall on the federal Delta-Mendota Canal. With this project, we are currently delivering recycled water produced by the city’s water treatment plant away from the plant and into the Delta-Mendota Canal for the farmers on the west side of the Central Valley to use for irrigation. The benefit is that the irrigation water, which was not available to those farmers, is an assured water supply for them so they can invest in continued farming in that area.” The Central Valley is one of the top ag-producing areas in the world, but with the water supply over-allocated in California, it is critical to find new, innovative ways for getting water to the farmers. As Wong explains, “This water that we are now recycling and delivering for irrigation