Stantec completes design of demonstration facility for Pure Water Antelope Valley

Advanced water treatment facility will inform full-scale design for Palmdale Water District’s indirect potable reuse program

Design is now complete on an advanced water treatment (AWT) demonstration facility for the Palmdale Water District’s (PWD) Pure Water Antelope Valley indirect potable reuse program. Stantec served as the lead designer for the facility, and construction is set to begin this summer following a groundbreaking that took place in June.

The demonstration facility will serve as a place for public education, treatment evaluation, data collection, and regulatory approval. The information gathered from the demonstration facility over a 12-month period will inform the full-scale design of a 5 million gallon per day (MGD) AWT facility, which will be the cornerstone of Pure Water Antelope Valley.

“This is a notable milestone in the development of the Pure Water Antelope Valley program,” said Tama Snow, vice president and US Pacific regional business leader at Stantec. “Palmdale Water District has an amazing vision for making use of local resources and drought-proofing their service area, and we’re committed to supporting the program with a forward-thinking, experienced team.”

The future full-scale AWT facility is expected to produce approximately 5 MGD of potable water using tertiary effluent from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts’ Palmdale Water Reclamation Plant. Treated water will be injected into the local groundwater basin to replenish supply, prevent further land subsidence, and help drought-proof the area. Currently, the Palmdale Water District relies heavily on California’s State Water Project for its water supply.

“Being an inland utility, brine management is a challenge for the PWD. We worked with the district to develop a comprehensive brine management strategy that maximizes the production of treated water and minimizes the brine volume,” said Zakir Hirani, vice president and water reuse sector leader at Stantec.

Stantec is also supporting PWD with program management and funding efforts. The area served is a disadvantaged community, and Stantec’s funding team is helping PWD secure state and federal grants to help fund the Pure Water Antelope Valley program.

“We are excited to begin construction of the Pure Water Antelope Valley Demonstration Facility,” said Scott Rogers, Palmdale Water District engineering manager. “Stantec has done an excellent job designing this facility, which will be our first major step toward producing a cost-effective and more reliable high-quality water supply for our community.”

Water reuse is becoming essential in communities around the globe. Stantec is working on multiple potable reuse programs in California including Pure Water San Diego, Pure Water Los Angeles, and Pure Water Southern California.