For more than half a century, the Michelson Water Recycling Plant has been IRWD’s primary source of drought-proof recycled water.
1967
2008 and 2014
Irvine
25 million gallons of recycled water
28 million gallons a day
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
What if wastewater wasn’t wasted? What if water plants could store energy to reduce the need for power plants? What if a sewage treatment plant could be powered by the sewage it treats?
The answers can be found at Michelson Water Recycling Plant, which operates efficiently and sustainably to keep your water bill low.
At this plant, “what if” is what we do.
In the IRWD service area, most of the water that goes down the drain indoors — from showers, toilets, dish washing, laundry — ends up at the Michelson Water Recycling Plant. (The rest flows to our Los Alisos Water Recycling Plant)
Here, the water gets new life through a three-stage (“tertiary”) recycling process.
The high-quality recycled water is used primarily for watering public landscape — keeping our community green and beautiful.
The Michelson plant opened in 1967 and began delivering about 2 million gallons per day to farmers. Since, it has grown into a nationally recognized facility capable of producing 28 million gallons a day for a variety of non-drinking uses.
