CITY TO RECYCLE WATER; POPULATION GROWTH OUTPACING SUPPLY.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

By the new year, the city will join a growing list of communities in Southern California tapping treated wastewater to supplement maxed-out water supplies.

To supply water for the growing population in the Santa Clarita Valley in coming years, the Castaic Lake Water Agency will begin using treated and cleaned wastewater for nonpotable applications in early 2000.

By gradually introducing reclaimed water as a resource for limited applications, such as irrigating golf courses or industrial purposes, officials hope to free up a greater share of its potable water to meet the growing population's need for drinking water, according to agency officials.

``Reclaimed water is a main component of the agency's long-term master plan,'' said Robert C. Sagehorn, the water agency's general manager.

The first phase of the project is expected to go online in early 2000, he said, with special equipment installed at the agency's pumping facility on The Old Road in Valencia.

So far, the Castaic Lake Water Agency plans to use the reclaimed wastewater strictly for irrigation purposes - specifically, for golf courses currently under construction.

``In order to make reclaimed water efficient, you need a steady demand and reliable customers, like golf courses,'' Sagehorn said.

Dan Paige, a Water Division supervisor for the Public Utilities Commission in Los Angeles County, agreed that the various filtration processes used in reclaiming wastewater are expensive.

Still, a number of communities throughout Los Angeles County are turning to reclaimed water as a reliable alternative to supplement water supplies, he said, noting that nurseries, parks, golf courses and landscaping on public highways are some of the more common uses for reclaimed wastewater. Another is the water supply for some fire hydrants, designated by their purple color.

Paige also has seen a rise in the number of industrial uses for reclaimed water in Southern California, such as refineries that utilize water to cool their turbines or cooling towers.

Darlene Battle, spokeswoman for the city of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said other projects are in the works that would replenish the groundwater within five years.

The East Valley Reclamation Project would add 32,000 acre-feet of groundwater around Sun Valley, she said. After cleaning the water to meet stringent guidelines, the Tillman Reclamation Plant in San Fernando would pump it into the ground. After about five years of the natural filtration process through the earth, it would then be ready for use, Battle said.

``This type of technology is very important, especially in Southern California,'' she said.

The use of reclaimed water fits within the Castaic Lake Water Agency's long-term master plan to make available to customers an additional supply of reliable and safe water, Sagehorn said.

Castaic plans to spend $63.8 million on specialized facilities and technology needed to clean the water so it meets strict regulations, beginning in the 1999-2000 budget, according to the water agency's long-term capital improvement plans released in April.

The Castaic Lake Water Agency serves about 170,000 people in Santa Clarita Valley over 175 square miles of county and incorporated territories. The wholesaler distributes its water supply to four main retailers, such as the Santa Clarita Water Co. and Valencia Water Co. Its current supply comes from a mix of sources, including imported state water and groundwater. The agency has been active in seeking new ways to replenish its water supply, in anticipation of a continued population boom. In 1998, the city of Santa Clarita's population grew by 9.43 percent, according to agency reports.

City planning officials predict that the population will double in the next 30 years.

Between the years 2000 to 2007, the total demand for municipal water from the agency is projected to jump from 62,1777 acre-feet per year to 94,251 acre-feet per year. As demand grows, the volume of reclaimed water usage is projected to grow from 790 acre-feet in 2000 to 6,317 acre-feet by 2007.

According to the state Department of Water Resources, an acre-foot of water is enough to serve two average-size families for one year.