I spent the morning today with El Monte-based Upper San Gabriel Valley Water officials and engineers visiting the water purification facility of the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District.
Orange County Water District Process Engineer Mehul Patel explains the third step of the purification process.
Attached to the wires are dozens of bulbs, similar to those that are found in a tanning bed.
The ultraviolet light with hydrogen peroxide treatment provides an additional safety barrier that disinfects trace compounds that may have passed through the previous step, reverse osmosis.
This technology was actually first used in the San Gabriel Valley, when contaminated water found in the basin needed to be rid of the water of aero jet pollutants.
Upper wants to produce its own system, which takes waste water from the sanitation district, purifies it through a three step process involving microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light, and then pumps the water into the groundwater basin.
Upper officials predict that if they can get their own replenishment system, that it could make the San Gabriel Valley virtually drought proof.
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District President Leon Garcia gets ready to try the final product. In these three tubs is what the water looks like after going through each treatment step.
The water on the far left is the final product. Patel explains which tub NOT to drink from.