The Soquel Creek Water District (SqCWD) in Santa Cruz County, California, is using innovative technologies to ensure a sustainable water supply for more than 40,000 residents on the state’s central coast.
Impact
In 2014, California mandated that all groundwater basins in the state be sustainable by 2040. SqCWD, which gets 100% of its water from undergrown wells, launched an effort to map its underground water supply and replenish the groundwater basin using purified wastewater.
First, the district conducted airborne geophysical surveys using electromagnetic technology to create a 3-D model of the groundwater basin. The model confirmed that seawater intrusion threatened to contaminate the district’s drinking water wells. To combat the threat, the district’s board of directors approved a $140 million project to pump highly treated wastewater back into the underground basin to prevent further saltwater contamination and provide a reliable, sustainable and drought-proof water supply. Construction of the project is underway and will be completed in 2024.
The district also launched outreach activities to build community support for the recycled water campaign, which includes an education trailer that travels to schools, farmers markets and other local events.
Advice
Multi-year projects demand dedication, leadership and alignment between the district and its customers. SqCWD offers these recommendations to special district leaders to replicate its success:
- Know the issues. Use data and science and facts.
- Evaluate solutions with a public and transparent process.
- Listen. Be aligned with community values.
- Learn. Meet with other communities that have developed similar projects or initiatives. SqCWD staff toured other innovative facilities and used this knowledge to inform its customers and communities. The district also applied lessons learned from other communities to its own initiative.
- Make sound and reasonable decisions and continually adapt to change.
- Celebrate milestones and have fun along the way. This doesn't mean have extravagant parties. It can be a simple "shout out" or a homemade cake. Keeping morale high on a multi-year project is invaluable.
- Strong Leadership breeds a strong team.
