Recycled water to be an option for 4S Ranch homes

Pending regulatory approval, 4S Ranch residents and other Olivenhain Municipal Water District residential customers may soon be able to obtain free recycled water for landscaping.

Once it opens, perhaps by early September, the station will be staffed for customers to collect recycled water from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The station is at 10249 Camino San Thomas in 4S Ranch.

To obtain water from the new 4S Ranch fill station, Olivenhain customers must complete an online certification program. It is viewable at olivenhain.com/fillstation. Before obtaining their ID card and stickers for water containers they must also verify they are Olivenhain customers.

“It’s a fairly extensive application process because (customers) need to understand how to handle recycled water properly,” said Joey Randall, Olivenhain’s customer services manager. Guidelines are based on county and state health requirements.

Once approved, customers can obtain up to 300 gallons of recycled water per visit, Randall said, adding there are a variety of suitable containers available at major retailers for the transport of recycled water. These include 55 gallon drums and smaller containers with water-tight lids.

Customers must keep in mind their vehicle’s maximum load capacity considering a gallon of water weighs a little over 8 pounds, so 100 gallons equals 834 pounds, officials said.

According to program materials, recycled water “is wastewater that has received extensive treatment so it can be used for many non-potable uses such as landscape irrigation, surface washing, dust control, food crop irrigation, decorative fountains, toilet flushing and much more.”

It cannot be used for drinking, cooking, bathing or showering, filling swimming pools or spas, children’s water toys, plumbing it to a household domestic system or be discharged to the street gutter or storm drain system.

Officials said Olivenhain produces about 1 million gallons of recycled water each day at its 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility, which originates as wastewater from the 4S Ranch and Rancho Cielo areas plus nearby agencies, including the City of San Diego. The recycled water is delivered to the district’s southeastern service area for use in homeowners association common areas, schools, parks, streetscapes and golf courses. Its pipes are easily identifiable due to being painted purple.

Randall said residential fill stations are a relatively new concept, one Olivenhain officials learned about earlier this year after hearing about one in Northern California. Olivenhain is the first water district in the county to install one.

He said the station is a temporary facility, at least through next February when the state’s mandatory water restrictions expire. Of course, if the drought continues the restrictions will likely be extended. By early next year Olivenhain officials will determine if the 4S Ranch station should remain open, based on use.

It is costing Olivenhain $80,000 to install and operate, since it must be staffed, according to Olivenhain Operations Manager Cari Dale. The money came from the district’s operating fund.

Randall said the fill station is another tool to help Olivenhain meet the state’s mandated water cutback of 32 percent for the district. Officials have also extended its purple pipes to large landscaped areas, which have saved nearly 2,500 acre feet of water per year. One acre foot roughly serves the water needs of two families of four for a year.

Recycled water pipes cannot be extended to homes due to extensive regulatory rules, making it cost prohibitive, he said. Hence the idea to provide a fill station.