Challenge
The City of Morro Bay, located on California's central coast, is taking steps toward a drought-resistant and sustainable water future. To meet state and federal requirements, the City must construct a new wastewater treatment facility away from the coast to avoid hazards such as sea-level rise, tsunami, and flood inundation. In addition, the City needed a cost-effective solution that allowed it to develop a more robust treatment process for its wastewater and secure a more sustainable drinking water supply for its residents.
Solution
The City is building a Water Reclamation Facility with an advanced water purification that will meet state regulations, protect the environment, and contribute a safe and reliable water source for Morro Bay’s homes and businesses. The new Water Reclamation Facility will provide required treatment for all flows and will include advanced treatment capabilities to provide purified water for injection to supplement the City’s groundwater supply. On behalf of the City, the Filanc Black & Veatch JV (FBV) selected SUEZ’s LEAP*mbr technology because it will produce a superior water quality, ensure reliability and value, and fit within a small footprint. In the FBV design, the MBR effluent will be further treated using reverse osmosis membranes and an advanced oxidation process before being injected into the aquifer. The new facility will treat one million gallons of wastewater per day.
"The City is excited to move forward with SUEZ as our MBR supplier," said Morro Bay City Manager, Scott Collins. "They were selected after a robust review of the top MBR manufacturers in the industry.”
With the incorporation of MBR technology in the treatment process, the City of Morro Bay Water Reclamation Facility Project marks a first for California. Though there are more than 50 operating MBR projects in California that produce recycled water for irrigation and industrial use, when permitted, the City’s facility will be the first to use MBR technology in a process to recycle wastewater to augment groundwater supplies used for drinking water. This not only paves the way for future projects but will also have a significant impact on advancement of the regulatory framework moving forward.