Technical Resources

Pure Water Southern California
Technical Resources

In advancing the Pure Water Southern California program, Metropolitan has completed a number of technical studies; set up letters of intent and agreements with partnering organizations; developed and tested our advanced purification process at the Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center in Carson; and consulted with independent advisory panels composed of scientists and public health experts. 

This page provides technical resources for the program, sharing the comprehensive research and studies to date. 

 

Technical Resources

Advisory Panels 

Independent Science Advisory Panel: Demonstration Project

The Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant is a facility that uses a unique application of membrane bioreactors in the advanced water treatment process. This demonstration facility will be used to evaluate the performance of the membrane bioreactors with reverse osmosis and an ultraviolet/advanced oxidation process. The project will also develop design criteria for a potential full-scale facility, clarify costs for advanced treatment, and ultimately obtain regulatory permits for a full-scale program.

An independent science advisory panel has been selected to provide an objective review of technical, scientific, regulatory, and public health aspects of the Advanced Purification Center. To ensure objectivity, the National Water Research Institute NWRI, a nonprofit organization with extensive experience in the water reuse industry, selected the panel and will manage its activities. The panelists represent industry and academic experts in drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, advanced water treatment, toxicology, chemistry, microbiology, hydrogeology, pipeline corrosion, and drinking water and recycled water regulations and permitting. The panelists are listed below with their areas of expertise.

PWSC advisory Panel 2 Demo

Pure Water Southern California Advisory Panel, pictured from left: Ed Means (Panel Facilitator), Adam Olivieri, Nancy Love, Charles Haas, Vernon Snoeyink, Paul Westerhoff, Richard Bull (previous member), Joe Cotruvo, Thomas Harder, Paul Anderson (not pictured).

 

Panelists:

Paul Anderson, Ph.D.: Adjunct Professor, Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, Geography Department, Boston University. Dr. Anderson has been involved in toxicological research for more than 25 years. His expertise is toxicology.

Joe Cotruvo, Ph.D.: President of Joseph Cotruvo and Associates, LLC. Dr. Cotruvo has more than 45 years of experience conducting research and writing policy related to drinking water quality. His expertise is chemistry.

Charles Haas, Ph.D.: Betz Chair, Professor of Environmental Engineering & Head, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University. Dr. Haas has more than 45 years of experience conducting research. His expertise is microbiology.

Thomas Harder: Principal, Thomas Harder and Company Groundwater Consulting. Mr. Harder has more than 22 years of professional groundwater consulting experience. His expertise is hydrogeology.

Nancy Love, Ph. D.: Borchardt and Glysson Collegiate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan. Her research evaluates the fate and removal of pathogens and contaminants of emerging concern in water with relevance to public health and the environment and advances technologies that recover useful resources from water.

Adam Olivieri, Ph. D.: Principal/Founder, EOA Inc. Dr. Olivieri has over 30 years of experience in leading technical and regulatory projects associated with wastewater, water recycling and reuse, and others. His expertise is water regulations and permitting.

Vernon Snoeyink, Ph. D.: Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois. Dr. Snoeyink’s research career has focused on aquatic chemistry and corrosion control, focusing on drinking water distribution systems. His expertise is pipeline corrosion.

Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D.: Regents Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and The Built Environment, Arizona State University. Dr. Westerhoff has taught at Arizona State University since 1995. His expertise is drinking water treatment and advanced water treatment.

The independent science advisory panel will participate throughout the testing period for the demonstration project and until report(s) are submitted to regulators for approval of the purification process.

The independent science advisory panel is the second panel for the Regional Recycled Water Program. Initially, an advisory panel was created to provide input on the feasibility of the program. 

Advisory Panel: Feasibility Study

Metropolitan and Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts are working collaboratively to develop a potential regional recycled water supply program that would purify and reuse water for recharge of groundwater basins in Southern California. An advisory panel of key subject matter experts was established to provide independent review and critical input on the scope and direction of the program during its demonstration project phase. In this initial effort, the panel provided input into the development of the program's feasibility and financial assessments, as well as the design of the demonstration plant.

RRWP advisory Panel Feasibility

Pure Water Southern California Advisory Panel, pictured, from left: Ed Means, Joe Reichenberger, Richard Atwater, Thomas Harder, Paul Westerhoff, David Jenkins, Shivaji Deshmukh, Margie Nellor (not pictured).

 

Panelists:

Margie Nellor, Co-Chair: Expert on recycled water reuse programs, pretreatment and related regulatory issues.

Richard Atwater, Co-Chair: Expert in recycled water programs and past Executive Director of Southern California Water Committee.

Shivaji Deshmukh: West Basin Municipal Water District, Assistant GM with recycled water engineering and operational experience with Advanced Water Treatment facilities at both the West Basin Water Recycling Facility and the Groundwater Replenishment System in Orange County.

Thomas Harder: Hydrogeologist with expertise on Southern California's groundwater basins.

David Jenkins: Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, with expertise on biological wastewater treatment processes, and water and wastewater chemistry (passed away March 2021).

Ed Means: Internationally recognized water quality and water resources management expert, with over 35 years experience, numerous peer-reviewed publications, and contributor or author of several books.

Joe Reichenberger: Professor at Loyola Marymount University, Professional Engineer and Board Certified Environmental Engineer, with over 50 years experience in water, wastewater and recycled water systems and treatment.

Paul Westerhoff: Professor at Arizona State University with expertise in advanced treatment processes.

The panel met periodically to review and discuss selected topics presented by project staff. These reviews provided input on:

  • Overall program feasibility and work plans,
  • Conceptual design of the Demonstration Plant,
  • Ideas and approaches to program implementation, and
  • Development of program options and alternatives.

The work of the program advisory panel is now complete. A new independent science advisory panel has been formed to provide input on the demonstration project.

Treatment Technology Acceptance Materials