The EchoWater Project: Unprecedented Wastewater Infrastructure
Investment for Sacramento
Topic: The EchoWater Project: Unprecedented
Wastewater Infrastructure
Investment for Sacramento
Speakers: Ruben Robles, Director of Regional
San Operations, Sacramento
Regional County Sanitation District
When: Friday, May 1, 2015, 12 pm
Where: Sacramento State, 6000 J Street | Santa
Clara Hall, Room 1207
Map
This seminar series is open to the public. Food will be provided
for the first
20–25 people to arrive.
Topic Overview
By Ruben R. Robles
The EchoWater Project Name
We’re calling this major upgrade the EchoWater Project to
reflect how it will take our wastewater and return it to a
clean, natural state, much like an echo returns to its original
source.
The EchoWater Project is being built by the Sacramento Regional
County Sanitation District (Regional San) to meet stringent new
treatment mandates by the State of California. This requires us
to make the most significant upgrades to our wastewater
treatment plant in Elk Grove since its construction more than 30
years ago. This new system, which must be operating by 2023,
will produce cleaner water for discharge to the Sacramento River
and increase water recycling opportunities by producing highly
treated water that meets water reuse standards.
Improved Treatment Processes
Ultimately, EchoWater will boost plant processes to a higher
level of treatment, featuring biological nutrient removal for
ammonia and nitrates and advanced filtration and disinfection
for pathogens. Currently, Regional San wastewater undergoes
secondary treatment, which involves separation of solids,
biological treatment to break down small organic particles, and
disinfection with chlorine. While more than adequately meeting
previous discharge requirements, only a full-scale expansion of
our secondary process and the addition of new tertiary
filtration will achieve compliance with the strict new mandates.
Benefits of the Project
The EchoWater project will provide long-term benefits to water
quality and the environment. The improved quality of the treated
wastewater released into the Sacramento River will help reduce
potential impacts on the ailing Delta and protect recreational
users downstream. The treatment technology required to meet the
new regulations will provide Regional San with a ready supply of
recycled water to deliver to future water recycling projects.
Additionally, using recycled water helps preserve our precious
water supplies, especially during drought conditions.
Cost of the Project
It is estimated that these new processes will cost between $1.5
billion and $2.1 billion to construct, plus approximately $50
million per year in additional maintenance and operations costs.
These costs will be borne by ratepayers, with rates expected to
rise to the mid-$40s to low $50s per month between 2021 and
2023. These increases, which have already begun, will be phased
in gradually as the project is developed. Fees for connecting
new homes and buildings to the system will also increase. For
more Information, visit the EchoWater project website.
About the Speaker
Ruben R. Robles is the Director of Operations for
the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional
San). As director, he manages the Sacramento Regional Wastewater
Treatment Plant (SRWTP) and interceptor collection system, which
provides wastewater conveyance and treatment to over 1.4 million
people in the Sacramento region. He is responsible for a staff
of 350 employees working at the plant in operations,
maintenance, engineering, safety, regulatory compliance, and
laboratory. He is also responsible for the Echowater Project,
which is a permit-required project that will increase the level
of wastewater treatment at the SRWTP and is one of the largest
capital improvement projects in the Sacramento regions history.
Ruben has worked for Regional San in several capacities over the
past 23 years, including capital project delivery, maintenance
and rehabilitation, development of the Regional Sans Asset
Management Program, water and biosolids recycling, NPDES
permitting, long-range planning, and implementation of a
Regional Sans design-build project.
He is a registered professional civil engineer in the State of
California and holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in
civil engineering, and a Masters degree in Business
Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
