Michelson Water Recycling Plant: Where nothing is wasted

For more than half a century, the Michelson Water Recycling Plant has been IRWD’s primary source of drought-proof recycled water.

Opened:

1967

Expanded and upgraded:

2008 and 2014

Location:

Irvine

Average daily output:

25 million gallons of recycled water

Capacity:

28 million gallons a day

Process time:

16 hours (from when water enters plant until it leaves plant)

One of two sources of IRWD recycled, along with Los Alisos Water Recycling plant

Every gallon of recycled water saves a gallon of drinking water

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Storing energy

A network of lithium batteries captures inexpensive electricity in off-peak hours.
IRWD uses that electricity in peak hours, saving customers money.
This also reduces the need for more power plants in the community.

Wasting nothing

Organic solids left over from water recycling are piped to the adjacent Biosolids facility.
The solids are converted to products loaded with nutrients to help plants grow.
Methane gas from the solids provides energy to power the biosolids facility.