2023.05.18 Board Agenda Attachment RWSPRecycled Water Strategic Plan Update
May 18, 2023
Stephen Caswell, Principal Engineer
Elisa Garvey, Carollo Engineers
1
2
Introduction and Background
2
District Recycled Water Strategic Plan Objectives
3
Develop a long-term strategy for District wastewater effluent disposal/reuse that incorporates viable alternatives to the existing system.
These alternatives would be triggered for implementation by existing or future drivers and/or constraints.
50 Year Planning Horizon
KEY POINTS
Brief recap:
Strategic plan is a 50-year vision
Objective – Message is in blue box on slide
Roadmap
3
Recycled Water Strategic Plan Development
4
SAG = Stakeholder Advisory Group
We are here
Most viable alternatives moving forward to detailed evaluation
4
Existing System Challenges
KEY POINTS
Brief recap:
Important to consider in a 50 year horizon
Provide some highlights of the challenging aspects of the existing system
Energy costs
Investment in export infrastructure
Alpine county litigation
Rancher agreements
5
6
Alternatives Identification and Screening
6
Alternatives
Identification
and Screening
Brainstorming exercise
Wide net of potential options
Identify most viable options for detailed evaluation
7
1,2,3
6
4
12,13,14
7
5
9
11
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Lake Tahoe
Basin
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
15,16
10
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
8
South Fork
American River
Watershed
KEY POINTS
Overview of alternatives generation process:
Alternatives list developed through team brainstorming exercise
Wide range of options
Varying challenges and benefits
Shown on map – purple dots represent end use location
4 different regions
Upper Carson watershed - CA and NV
Truckee watershed
South Fork American watershed
Lake Tahoe basin
7
8
Alternatives Identification and Screening
Truckee River Watershed
8
Truckee River Watershed
Alternatives
9
9
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Lake Tahoe
Basin
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
Conveyance to TTSA for subsurface discharge to Truckee River
South Fork
American River
Watershed
KEY POINTS
Overview of alternatives generation process:
Alternatives list developed through team brainstorming exercise
Wide range of options
Varying challenges and benefits
Shown on map – purple dots represent end use location
3 different regions
Upper Carson watershed - CA and NV
Truckee watershed
Lake Tahoe basin
9
Key Challenges
Infrastructure and Treatment
15-mile transmission pipeline from District WWTP to TCPUD System
Significant challenges with pipeline construction
Potential environmental impacts
TCPUD and TTSA are capacity limited
10
11
Alternatives Identification and Screening
South Fork American River Watershed
11
South Fork
American
Watershed
Alternatives
Discharge to the American River
Non-potable recycled water use in American River Watershed
Snowmaking
Irrigation
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
8
South Fork
American River
Watershed
KEY POINTS
Overview of alternatives generation process:
Alternatives list developed through team brainstorming exercise
Wide range of options
Varying challenges and benefits
Shown on map – purple dots represent end use location
3 different regions
Upper Carson watershed - CA and NV
Truckee watershed
Lake Tahoe basin
12
Key Challenges
Infrastructure and Treatment
28-mile pipeline
Significant technical challenges
Potential for environmental impacts
Treatment upgrades for discharge to South Fork American River
Filtration and nutrient removal
Treatment upgrades for non-potable recycled water use
Filtration and disinfection
13
14
Alternatives Identification and Screening
Lake Tahoe Basin
14
Lake Tahoe
Basin
Alternatives
Land Application
Discharge to waterways
Potable Reuse
Indirect Potable Reuse
Direct Potable Reuse
12,13,14
11
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Lake Tahoe
Basin
15,16
10
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
South Fork
American River
Watershed
15
Key Challenges
16
Alternatives – Discharge to Tributaries or Land Application of recycled water
Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) designation of Lake Tahoe
Applicable to:
Lake Tahoe
Tributaries
Potentially applicable to land application of recycled water (irrigation or snowmaking)
17
Treatment Requirements
Total dissolved solids and chloride removal
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is industry standard process
Nutrient removal
Limits of technology for biological nutrient removal = 3 mg/L TN
Reverse Osmosis (RO) required to further reduce TN
TN objective may not be achievable
Trace organics removal
Ultraviolet disinfection and advanced oxidation (UV/AOP)
Requires TDS and chloride removal
Requires nutrient removal
Treatment Train
Nutrient Removal + MF+ RO + UV/AOP
18
WWTP Planning Level Cost Estimates
WWTP Energy Demand Comparison
19
Additional Considerations –
RO Brine Disposal
RO brine disposal
Estimated volume based on partial treatment = 250,800 gal per day
Disposal
Landfill – Approximately 30 trips per day
Deep well injection – requires isolated groundwater basin
Thermal concentration and crystallization
Energy intensive 1.5 Millions of kWh
Industrial process
20
Potable Reuse Alternatives
Environmental buffer with travel/residence time that meets or exceeds minimum requirements
Environmental buffer with travel/residence time that does not meet minimum requirements
No environmental buffer. Added to source water to water treatment plans
No environmental buffer. Added water distribution system
21
Potable Reuse Alternatives
Injection only viable approach
Potable reuse via injection requires
MF + RO + UV/AOP
Allowance to demonstrate equivalent treatment train (non-RO)
Meeting groundwater quality objectives requires
RO and possibly nutrient removal
Regulations expected end 2023
Anticipated required treatment train includes RO
No anticipated allowance to demonstrate equivalent treatment train (non-RO)
22
WWTP Planning Level Cost Estimates
WWTP Energy Demand Comparison
23
Lake Tahoe
Basin
Alternatives
Land Application
Discharge to waterways
Potable Reuse
Indirect Potable Reuse
Direct Potable Reuse
12,13,14
11
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Lake Tahoe
Basin
15,16
10
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
South Fork
American River
Watershed
KEY POINTS
We’ve identified challenges:
Legislative
Regulatory
Technological
Cost
Energy
And we’ve identified what is needed for these alternatives to be more viable,
When it comes to viability of the in basin options, we have other options that are more viable overall.
24
25
Alternatives Identification and Screening
Carson River Watershed
25
Carson River
Watershed
Alternatives
1,2,3
6
4
7
5
District WWTP
End Use Location
of Alternative
Truckee River
Watershed
Upper Carson
Watershed
WWTP = wastewater treatment plant
South Fork
American River
Watershed
Existing System
Expansion of non-potable recycled water use in Alpine County
Treatment upgrades and expansion of non-potable recycled water use in NV
KEY POINTS
Removes the challenges of Porter Cologne, ONRW, Settlement Act, TRPA
26
Key Challenges
27
Advanced
Disinfected Secondary
Treatment
Export Pipeline
Harvey Place Reservoir
District Irrigation
Rancher Irrigation
Existing
System
Export Pipeline
Harvey Place Reservoir
District Irrigation
Rancher Irrigation
Expanded
Disinfected
Secondary
Effluent
Reuse
Disinfected
Tertiary Treatment
Export Pipeline
Harvey Place Reservoir
District Irrigation
Rancher Irrigation
Expanded
Disinfected
Tertiary
Effluent
Reuse
Advanced
Disinfected Secondary
Treatment
Landscape Irrigation
28
Export Pipeline
Harvey Place Reservoir
Pastureland Irrigation
Expanded
Class A or B
Reuse in NV
Treatment to Meet Class A
or B Reuse in NV*
Landscape Irrigation
Conveyance
Pipeline or Indian Creek
CA
NV
Pipeline to DCLTSA
DCLTSA
Export Pump Station
Pastureland Irrigation
Conveyance
to DCLTSA
Tertiary Treatment
Nutrient Removal
DCLTSA
Export Pipeline
CA
NV
Alfalfa Irrigation
Tertiary Treatment
Nutrient Removal
Reverse Osmosis
Export Pipeline
Harvey Place Reservoir
Discharge
to West Fork
Carson River
West Fork Carson
29
Recycled Water Strategic Plan Next Steps
30
SAG = Stakeholder Advisory Group
We are here
30
31
Questions?
31