Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District continues to undergo a major wastewater treatment plant expansion of the Regional Water Reclamation Facility. At the June 8 board meeting, the board approved a $217 million contract for the expansion of the Regional Water Reclamation Facility by four million gallons per day. The expansion will allow for future growth in EVMWD’s service area and meet updated State of California regulatory requirements.
“The EVMWD Board’s approval awarding a contract for the plant expansion will help the district meet the area’s increasing growth and position us for future needs,” EVMWD General Manager Greg Thomas said. “Our service area is only 35 percent built out, as well as state and federal regulations continue to change.”
EVMWD completed a variety of necessary upgrades to the plant and distribution control system in 2019 and is now moving to the next phase of the project.
Key improvements include the addition of a new fine screen facility, two new aeration basins, a new membrane bioreactor facility, a new ultraviolet disinfection facility, a new belt press building, an expansion of headworks, an expansion of the influent pump station, and new odor control facilities.
In 2021, the board secured $129.8 million in state low-interest loan funding for the expansion of the Regional Water Reclamation Facility. These funds ensure that the community’s wastewater treatment and recycled water needs are met through 2025 and beyond. The funding saves approximately $50 million in interest expenses over the next 30 years, which leads to direct long-term savings for ratepayers, EVMWD said.
First constructed in 1985, the Regional Water Reclamation Facility has undergone two expansions. The plant can treat eight million gallons of wastewater per day. The expansion will allow up to 12 million gallons of wastewater to be treated per day. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2026.
