SAN DIEGO — To get a behind the scenes look of the construction on the North City Water Reclamation Plant expansion in Miramar, San Diego City and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leaders checked the progress.
The existing treatment plant has been there since the 1990s, so by 2025, the city plans to produce 30 million gallons of water every day for a total cost of $1.5 billion.
"The phased multiyear program that the city is deploying there with advanced technology to purify recycled water while reducing treated sewage discharge into the ocean by nearly 50%,” said Mayor Todd Gloria.
Gloria says this Pure Water San Diego project will solve a regional wastewater issue and provide a new water resource for San Diego.
At this time, 11 construction projects are underway.
Next up, Phase 2 will supply an additional 53 million gallons of water per day by 2035 to make the largest infrastructure project in city history and employing hundreds of San Diegans.
“This is really nation leading. This is where San Diego is stepping up, and we believe other communities will follow behind us,” Gloria said.
To help pay for it, about $1.2 billion in EPA funding is going to the construction.
"Over the next five years, the environmental protection agency is going to be investing $50 billion in water infrastructure projects just like this,” said Radhika Fox, U.S. EPA office of water assistant administrator.
EPA leaders said the site was drought and climate resistant which is needed across the region and the nation.
The expanded treatment plant will reduce San Diego's reliance on imported water and deliver over 50% of our drinking water.
“No longer are we going to have to rely on the expensive and the power intensive way that it takes to bring water in from Northern California to San Diego,” said San Diego city councilmember, Joe LaCava.
But because the project won't be completed for another three years, leaders are asking San Diegans to continue to conserve water.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego taking steps for possible water rate hike (July 2022)