Ever visited a lake filled with treated wastewater?
Just outside San Diego, Santee Lakes proves that what was once seen as waste can become one of California’s most treasured community assets. In 1961, at a time when water reuse was controversial, Padre Dam Municipal Water District filled seven man-made lakes with treated wastewater—creating one of the first public-facing recycled water projects in the world.
More than 60 years later, Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve welcomes 800,000 visitors annually for fishing, walking, and camping. And the legacy of innovation continues: Padre Dam is now expanding recycled water production from 2 million to 15 million gallons a day and leading one of the region’s most ambitious advanced purification efforts.
This lake may look ordinary—but it changed how we think about water in California, and it’s shaping the future of reuse.
Video in collaboration with WateReuse California.
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