The Golden State of Reuse

The Golden State of Reuse is a series exploring the past, present, and future of water recycling in California, showcasing the people and projects redefining how water is used again and again. 

The series is a collaboration with WateReuse California and the lead sponsor is CDM Smith. The series is also supported by Sacramento Area Sewer District, Black & Veatch, and Monterey One Water.

How San Diego Is Building a Recycled Water Future

San Diego is proving that the future of water is recycled. This episode visits Santee Lakes—one of California’s earliest examples of water reuse—with Kyle Swanson of Padre Dam Municipal Water District, who explains how a 1960s experiment turned wastewater into a beloved community asset and a model for the world.

The story then moves to the North City Water Reclamation Plant, where Doug Campbell from the City of San Diego shares how decades of innovation paved the way for Pure Water San Diego—one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious water recycling efforts. When complete, Pure Water will provide half of the city’s drinking water through a five-step purification process that turns wastewater into a safe, sustainable, and drought-proof resource.

The Ways Orange County Leads The Water World

In this episode, Orange County shows how water recycling moves from idea to impact—linking history, science, and workforce to make reuse mainstream.

At Irvine Ranch Water District, Paul Cook explains how a simple visual breakthrough—the now-iconic purple pipe—was created in the 1980s to clearly mark recycled water and build public trust, a standard that spread across California and the world.

At Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System, Mehul Patel traces the lineage from Water Factory 21 to today’s 130-MGD advanced purification that protects a coastal aquifer, pushes back seawater intrusion, and supplies enough water for about a million people. Research and innovation lead the way: Megan Plumlee spotlights OCWD’s lab and pilots tackling energy use in RO, improving membranes and spacers, and continuously monitoring for PFAS, microplastics, and other emerging contaminants—evidence that potable reuse is built on decades of science, not slogans.

The future depends on people as much as plants. At Moulton Niguel Water District, Joone Kim-Lopez lays out the skills needed for direct potable reuse—high-level certification, data literacy, and creativity—while sharing how partnerships with colleges are creating new training pathways.

How Los Angeles Is Building a Drought-Proof Future

In this episode, learn how Los Angeles is turning recycled water into real-world resilience—protecting aquifers from seawater intrusion, powering industry, gaining public support, and building a next-generation supply that reduces dependence on imported sources.

At Terminal Island, Dean Taylor explains how this pioneering facility evolved from discharging into the harbor to producing advanced treated water that now feeds the Dominguez Gap seawater barrier and supplies industrial clients such as like Valero, saving millions of gallons of drinking water each day while moving toward full reclamation capacity.

At the Albert Robles Center, Stephan Tucker shows how education and transparency are turning skepticism into support. Students, residents, and decision-makers experience the treatment process firsthand—building trust, understanding, and a stronger future workforce for the water industry.

At Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, Johan Torroledo and Christina Beccara Jones outline the ambitious Pure Water Los Angeles program—transforming one of the world’s largest treatment plants into a hub of innovation. Ultimately, the project will deliver up to 230 million gallons per day of purified water. They explain how the regional effort includes Pure Water Southern California, aiming to add another 150 million gallons per day of purified water for one of the nation’s thirstiest regions.

The throughline is clear: science, transparency, and collaboration are making potable reuse not just possible—but practical at metropolitan scale.

Perspectives of Professionals on California's Recycling Renaissance

This episode explores how California’s water recycling movement has evolved from experiments to expansion—driven by progressive regulations, proven technology, and positive public trust. In this episode, Traci Minamide, Greg Wetterau, and Roshanak Aflaki of CDM Smith share expert insights from decades of experience advancing reuse across the Golden State.

They reflect on the past, when early projects like the East Valley initiative faced setbacks and public skepticism that reshaped how engineers, utilities, and communicators approached outreach and transparency.

In the present, they highlight how clearer regulations, efficient treatment processes, and pilot projects have made large-scale water recycling both achievable and affordable—turning wastewater into safe, local drinking water for millions.

Looking to the future, the panel envisions a new generation of systems powered by AI-driven operations, advanced membranes, and rapid water-quality monitoring tools that will make direct potable reuse more widespread and resilient than ever before.

Community at Center of Central Coast Recycling

California’s Central Coast is turning recycled water into a lifeline for rivers, golf courses, farms, and coastal communities—showing how reuse can work far beyond the big cities.

In this episode, Nick Becker of Pebble Beach Community Services District, Alison Imamura of Monterey One Water, and Melanie Mow Schumacher of Soquel Creek Water District share how their communities are rethinking every drop.

At Pebble Beach, Becker explains how drought in the 1980s pushed local leaders to build one of the first systems that uses recycled water to irrigate seven world-class golf courses and a high school—later upgraded with microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and a 115-million-gallon reservoir so the system can bank winter water for dry summers.

Imamura describes how Pure Water Monterey takes a holistic approach, blending municipal wastewater, urban stormwater, industrial flows, and agricultural drainage into advanced treatment that both supplies 12,000 acres of farmland and returns purified water to the groundwater basin—cutting diversions from the Carmel River and protecting endangered species.

Schumacher shows how the small-but-mighty Soquel Creek Water District is fighting seawater intrusion and an overdrafted aquifer with Pure Water Soquel, an advanced purification project that turns wastewater into a high-quality groundwater recharge supply backed by strong public outreach, regional partnerships, and creative funding through state and federal programs.