Water Management

Water Management

Water is an essential thing for human survival. Water management is a subset of the water cycle that involves planning, distributing, and managing the ideal use of water resources. Water management is the management of water resources in compliance with the set of regulations and policies. San Marino is known for its high-quality water in Los Angeles. The San Marino Area is part of the three districts in Los Angeles. This paper outlines the water management plans and uses in San Marino. This report was prepared in compliance with the Urban Water Management Planning Act.

Development Level

The development objective of water management is to enhance access to sanitation services and water supply. The process of water management involves collection where water is released for treatment, screening, and straining for various dissolved and suspended materials. Then chemicals are added to make the suspended particles float in water and clumps together to form a floc. Then water is coagulated and flocculated where a rapid mix of coagulant is added to the water to provide a thorough mixing. After the water is flocculated, it travels to the sedimentation basin or clarifier where large particles settle at the bottom of the clarifier, and after that, the water is filtered. Finally, the water is then disinfected to kill the remaining bacteria and viruses, and then it is stored and distributed for use.

Disposal of Waste Water

Once the wastewater has gone through the treatment process, it is disposed to the environment through reintroduction. The three methods of disposing of treated water are subsurface discharge, surface water discharge, and land application for constructive uses.

Surface water discharge

The state, federal, and local governments regulate the disposal of untreated water into the surface waters or storm drains. With a permit, however, a facility may discharge the treated wastewater into the surface waters. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPEDS) is responsible for permitting specified treatment requirements of pretreatment and restricts what to be discharged. The restriction is to ensure the discharge does not have a health effect on the public or reduce the quality of water. NPEDS sets these requirements and issues permits for discharges.

In San Marino service area, the NPEDS permit program is administered through the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which is responsible for enforcing and issuing the NPEDS permits in San Marino

Subsurface discharge

Subsurface discharge arises when the wastewater in the site is treated by discharging the septic tank effluent, where it leaches through a trench field.

Land application discharge

Treated water can also be applied to the land through irrigation. The little number of pollutants that remained in the wastewater after treatment can be adapted into the soil structure or absorbed by a crop. However, the water may require pretreatment before discharge, depending on the contaminants, to meet the quality standards of water.

Programs for Water Management Practices in San Marino

The California American Water provides San Marino’s retail water. Some of the sources of water in San Marino include surface water though ultrafiltration systems and groundwater through reverse osmosis.

Ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration has various membrane filtrations where the hydrostatic pressure moves the solvents against membranes. The membranes block the suspended solids and large particles while solutes and water with lower molecular weight can flow through the membrane.

Reverse Osmosis

The brackish and groundwater is treated through a reverse osmosis system is a water treatment process that removes molecules, ions, and large particles from drinking water. The reverse osmosis system is commonly used in San Marino for purification of water by removing salts and other substances from water molecules. It is the reverse of the normal osmosis process where a solvent naturally moves from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration through a membrane. The pure solvent movement equalizes the solute concentration on each side, which generates osmotic pressure. Reverse osmosis, however, applies external pressure to reverse the flow of pure solvent naturally.