Local business leaders, members of the public, and elected officials gathered Friday, June 10, to celebrate the start of the construction of Mission Springs Water District’s new Regional Water Reclamation Facility.
Funded primarily by grants, the new treatment plant will treat an additional 1.5 million gallons of wastewater per day. This new capacity will allow more homes currently using a septic tank system to connect to the MSWD’s treatment system. The state-of-the-art facility will also support the addition of tertiary treatment in the future, which would provide recycled water to enhance water conservation efforts.
“We’ve been talking about the need for the new Regional Plant for several years now, but the timing is finally right,” said MSWD Board President Russ Martin. “Current ratepayers will be shielded from the cost of the new plant through the use of state-funded grants and low-interest loans.”
Located on land already owned by the District, the new plant is being built adjacent to the MSWD solar installation between 19th and 20th Avenues in Desert Hot Springs. The project includes the construction of a Sequence Batch Reactor (SBR) wastewater treatment plant. Two accompanying projects, the Regional Conveyance Line and the M-2 Septic to Sewer projects, are also under development.
“Together, these projects represent almost $70 Million worth of capital improvements to the MSWD system, one of the largest endeavors the District has ever undertaken,” said General Manager Arden Wallum. “These upgrades will also alleviate a portion of existing wastewater flows currently going to the Allan L. Horton Wastewater Treatment Plant, extending the facility’s operational life by 10 years.”
Reinforcing the importance of wastewater infrastructure in Desert Hot Springs and the surrounding areas and how efforts like this help protect drinking water for the entire Coachella Valley, speaker Peter Satin, a Board Member of the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board, spoke about the project and its benefits to our community.
Desert Hot Springs Mayor Scott Matas welcomed the new project, citing the need for expanded infrastructure as Desert Hot Springs was recently named the fastest-growing city in the Coachella Valley, according to 2020 census data.
Regionally, both Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt and Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Grace Elena Garner stressed the importance of projects like this that benefit the entire region and prepare us for future growth.