City of Santa Paula - Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility
Location: Santa Paula, California Project Type: Design-Build-Operate-Finance Capacity: 4.2 MGD, initially rated at 3.4 MGD Footprint: 1.5 acres Process Design: Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR)
The City of Santa Paula, California had a unique challenge – it was operating under a cease and desist order and faced over $8 million dollars in fines from the State Regional Water Quality Control Board as a result of noncompliance discharges into the Santa Clara River. A consent judgment with the state issued in May 2007 provided that if a new wastewater treatment facility was completed by September 2010, the city could apply the fines toward a new facility.
Due to the tight timeline and cost-saving opportunities, Santa Paula’s city council cancelled the Design-Bid-Build process and moved the project forward using the Design-Build-Operate-Finance procurement process for its new facility.
Following a competitive selection process, the city council voted in favor of Santa Paula Water LLC, a company formed by PERC Water and Alinda Capital Partners, to design, build, operate and finance a new water recycling facility to treat and recycle 4.2 million gallons per-day (initially rated at 3.4 MGD) to replace its existing wastewater treatment plant built in 1939. On July 7, 2008, just two months after the contract was awarded, PERC Water broke ground.
The new facility services the city’s population of approximately 32,000 people and is the first facility of its kind to be built under California’s new code 5956 regulations, which encourages public-private partnership by using private investment to solve public infrastructure needs. PERC Water is operating the new facility under a 30-year concession with Santa Paula Water.
PERC Water places a high priority on providing facilities that are an aesthetic and functional asset to the community. The Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility is a testament to this commitment:
Local labor – More than 80 percent of the hours worked to date on the Santa Paula WRF are from local union workers.
Community involvement – Every Friday morning, PERC Water hosts a neighborhood meeting where community citizens are invited to speak with the project supervisor and review the construction progress.
Open access – PERC Water developed a Web site specifically for the project - www.santapaulawater.com - where the community and local contractors can learn the status of construction (including photos), find information on projects are up for bid and the project’s contact information.
Education – The facility will also include the “Recycling Education Center,” a dedicated area where citizens and students from the surrounding community can have a hands-on experience learning about the facility and the water recycling process.
PERC Water was presented the Global Water Awards’ 2009 “Water Deal of the Year” Award of Distinction for our utilization of public-private partnerships in our contract to design, build, operate and finance the Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility. Global Water Intelligence stated the decision made by the city of Santa Paula to use private sector funding demonstrates a “bold new direction in the financing of US water infrastructure” and described the deal as a “ground-breaking transaction which can be emulated across the United States.” Click here to learn more about the Water Deal of the Year award in our Awards section.
On June 30th, California Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman toured the facility and said it is “a great example of how we can use technology and innovation to improve vital services to Californians.” She further said that “this environmentally friendly project will save Santa Paula residents and businesses money” and that the state of California needs “more of this imaginative thinking.”
For more details on the Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility, including construction photos and key design features, visit www.santapaulawater.com.
Santa Paula Water Recycling Facility informational materials: