The ellis creek tertiary recycled water expansion project will include facility upgrades at the existing ecwrf to increase tertiary filtration and disinfection capacity by 2.12 million gallons per day…

The Sonoma County Water Agency received a $27.7 million Cooperative Agreement from the Bureau of Reclamation under the Water Recycling and Desalination Construction Programs (CFDA 15.504), awarded on June 4, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2029. The award funds three interconnected water recycling infrastructure projects in Petaluma, California: the Ellis Creek Tertiary Recycled Water Expansion Project, the Urban Recycled Water Expansion Project, and the Agricultural Recycled Water Expansion Project. The primary deliverable involves expanding the existing Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility (ECWRF) to increase tertiary filtration and disinfection capacity by 2.12 million gallons per day (2,375 acre-feet per year), yielding approximately 712 acre-feet per year of potable water offset through installation of five new continuous backwash filter cells and ultraviolet disinfection lamp banks.

Supporting infrastructure components include the extension of recycled water distribution pipelines from the ECWRF to serve urban landscape customers currently reliant on potable water, generating approximately 192 acre-feet per year of potable offset, and the eastward extension of pipelines to agricultural customers along Adobe Road. These distribution projects prioritize construction along existing rights-of-way and disturbed areas to minimize environmental impact. Collectively, these projects enable the City of Petaluma to meet increasing recycled water demands while reducing dependence on potable water supplies, advancing regional water supply diversification and drought resilience objectives consistent with the Bureau of Reclamation's water recycling and conservation priorities.

Activities

City of petaluma ellis creek tertiary recycled water expansion, city of petaluma urban recycled water expansion, and city of petaluma agricultural recycled water expansion.projected deliverables or outcomes: the ellis creek tertiary recycled water expansion project will upgrade facilities at the ecwrf to increase tertiary filtration and disinfection capacity to meet increasing recycled water demands. Project components include 2.12 MGD (2,375 AFY) capacity tertiary filters with associated piping and pumps and UV disinfection lamps. This grant would support the engineering and design for this project. The urban recycled water expansion project will extend recycled water pipelines from the end of the existing 20-inch-diameter pipeline that originates from the ecwrf to serve existing landscape customers currently served by the city of petalumas potable water system. The project includes 17,500 LF of 16-inch-diameter pipelines, 12,500 LF of 12-inch-diameter pipelines, 12,200 LF of 8-inch-diameter pipelines, 1,600 LF of 2- and 4-inch-diameter pipelines, and 60 LF of special pipeline crossings. Petaluma will focus on extending recycled water pipelines off of existing recycled water pipelines on maria drive and sonoma mountain parkway to create a looped system for resiliency. The agricultural recycled water expansion project will extend the pipeline on frates road to the existing pipeline on tunzi lane, which will include approximately 7,100 linear feet (LF) of 16-inch-diameter pipeline to supply agricultural customers with approximately 100 AFY of recycled water.

Intended beneficiaries

These projects aim to increase the north bays water supply reliability and resiliency with recycled water. Phase 1 focused on the planning, design, and construction of primary treatment and conveyance systems. Phase 2 projects target the planning, design, and construction of sub-regional distribution systems.subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award): n a