Strategy 4: Managing salt and concentrate regionally

Managing salt and concentrate regionally

Regional cooperation is necessary to manage salt levels in our watersheds and groundwater basins. Concentrate management planning should accompany future regional recycled water program development. Collaboration with regulators to develop feasible options for regional concentrate management would help to maximize recycled water use as well as improve basin water quality.

Actions to support this strategy

4.1

Explore alternatives to restrictions on high

total dissolved solids discharges to sewer systems and variable salinity water courses (e.g., Ballona Creek or Dominguez Channel), including measures to allow for salt cleanup projects and recover treatment costs for unavoidable salinity discharges (e.g., a salt surcharge).

4.2

Explore development of regional

conveyance for concentrates, including co-location of concentrate pipelines with regional recycled water conveyance pipelines, considering treatment, discharge permitting, and actual costs.

4.3

Collaborate across water supply, groundwater cleanup, and recycled water

programs to work with regulatory agencies on concentrate management permitting and regulations, across all areas of Los Angeles County.

WATER PLAN On Target

Managing salt on a regional level will increase our ability to maximize recycled water for regional use and support the target to increase local supply sources by 580,000 AFY.

Why this strategy is needed

Unnatural salinity in water is produced from industrial processing, groundwater cleanups, desalters, and purified water concentrate. Excessive salt limits a supply’s beneficial use and can interfere with the operations of water and wastewater treatment plants. Concentrate, a byproduct of the advanced water treatment of wastewater, is a commonly overlooked component of recycled water projects that can have significant ecological consequences and should be specifically considered for the planned expansion of regional recycled water programs in Los Angeles County.

In the Antelope Valley, brine from treatment processes is discharged to local evaporation ponds where salt is concentrated for disposal.