Pure Water Los Angeles

What Is Pure Water Los Angeles?

Pure Water Los Angeles is a new water supply initiative being developed by LADWP in partnership with LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) that aims to increase the overall water supply resiliency and reliability for Los Angeles. Through the program, LASAN will upgrade the existing secondary treatment process at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant to include membrane bioreactor technology. Secondary effluent from Hyperion will then undergo more treatment at a future Advanced Water Purification Facility as part of the Pure Water Los Angeles program.

The Pure Water Los Angeles program will further treat and convey the purified recycled water to replenish the city’s groundwater basins via an Indirect Potable Reuse strategy. Additionally, new regulations have recently been released that allow for further treatment of this new source to integrate the purified recycled water with the drinking water system. The process, known as Direct Potable Reuse, would further expand the use of purified recycled water from Hyperion as a new supplemental water source.

LADWP will build new infrastructure to support distributing the purified water throughout the City for potable reuse applications, including Indirect Potable Reuse and Direct Potable Reuse.

Unified Vision and Mission

Vision - Increase and optimize the City’s local supplies and support the transition to 70 percent local water by maximizing the production of purified recycled water as part of a diversified water portfolio in an affordable manner to mitigate risks from climate change and ensure an equitable and resilient future for the region.

Mission - Partner across the region to build and operate a world-class advanced recycled water system to replenish local groundwater basins and support future direct potable reuse applications.

Program Goals

• Develop and Maximize Hyperion as a New, Sustainable Local Water Supply
• Construct New and Upgrade Existing City Infrastructure in a Cost-Effective and Responsible Manner
• Increase the Resiliency, Reliability, and Sustainability of the City’s Wastewater and Water Supply Systems
• Diversify Los Angeles’ Water Supply Portfolio
• Provide Community and Equity Benefits
• Protect Santa Monica Bay and Enhance Ecosystem Health Across the L.A. Basin

Conveyance and Storage: Working with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) and the Upper Los Angeles River Area Watermaster, LADWP will determine optimal locations to convey purified recycled water from Hyperion into the underlying aquifers within the West Coast, Central, and San Fernando Groundwater Basins.

LADWP is also working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) to potentially convey purified recycled water to MWD’s Regional Recycled Water Program Backbone System and the Jensen Water Filtration Plant. These connections would add operational flexibility and create a truly regional recycled water system.

Project Timeline

The proposed schedule reflects a conceptual level estimate and is subject to change based on resources and funding limitations. Pure Water Los Angeles is currently in the Conceptual Planning Phase.

*PEIR: Preliminary Environmental Information Report
*MWD: Metropolitan Water District
*PWSC: Pure Water Southern California Program

Ongoing Efforts

• LADWP is developing a “Pure Water Los Angeles Master Plan” scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
• LADWP and LASAN are preparing a Programmatic EIR for Pure Water Los Angeles, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
• LADWP and WRD completed the “Joint Los Angeles Basin Replenishment and Extraction Master Plan” to evaluate the best groundwater locations for injecting and extracting Hyperion purified recycled water. The findings from this study will feed into the development of the Pure Water Los Angeles Master Plan efforts currently underway.
• LADWP, LASAN, and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) are collaborating on the Hyperion Advanced Water Purification Facility,  a 1.5 MGD project that will provide advanced-treated recycled water to nearby Los Angeles International Airport for heating, cooling, and toilet flushing as well as for other onsite non-potable reuse applications at Hyperion.
• LADWP is working with LASAN on a 1 MGD Hyperion Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Pilot Facility. This project will compare three MBR systems side-by-side and provide data for regulatory approval. This project is scheduled for completion in 2027.

Environmental Review

Please visit the Pure Water Los Angeles (formerly known as Operation Next) CEQA website for documents and updates related to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance.

Community Outreach

LADWP is engaged in development of a robust stakeholder communication and outreach plan. Since early 2019, LADWP has worked with partner agencies, community groups, elected officials, environmental leaders, Neighborhood Councils, and other stakeholders on creating a high level of collaboration and cooperation for Pure Water Los Angeles. Two key outreach components include the development of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Report and the development of the Pure Water Los Angeles Master Plan.

Environmental related outreach has been ongoing since early 2021 and will continue throughout the Program. The Pure Water Los Angeles Master Plan development started in 2021 and is estimated for completion by the end of 2024, with support and feedback from community stakeholders and technical advisors.