FORT IRWIN, Calif.- Each day that Fort Irwin and the National Training Center's recycled water, or tertiary treated water, program is in use more than 1.8 billion drops of water or 200,000 to 300,000 gallons of water are saved, which is a significant effort in any climate, but especially in the Mojave Desert, where Fort Irwin is located.
A formal valve-turning ceremony for the project was held on Tuesday, July 6 at the installation.
The recycled water is being used to irrigate six locations including recreational fields and other grassy areas across the installation, with plans to expand the use of the recycled water in the near future.
"We live in the desert and we have a limited water supply. That is a fact," said Fort Irwin Garrison Commander Col. James Chevallier. "Every gallon of water of this type, tertiary treated water, is a gallon of water that we don't use as drinking water of otherwise."
This capability extends the sustainability and viability of Fort Irwin by buying time on the limited water supply the installation has, Col. Chevallier said, noting that green spaces are important to the quality of life at Fort Irwin.
"We don't have a lot of green remaining in our slice of the desert," he said. "The residents on this installation will tell you that green in the form of a grass, a tree, a bush is a key aspect of their quality of life at Fort Irwin."
The project does three things for the installation: it significantly reduces the amount of waste Fort Irwin puts into its wastewater treatment ponds, extends the sustainability at Fort Irwin and is going to help extend the sustainability at Fort Irwin without sacrificing the quality of life for Soldiers, Family members and civilians who live and work at Fort Irwin, he said.
"This is a classic win-win situation," Col. Chevallier added.
It took about seven years to get the project completed from design and construction through the permitting and commissioning process, explained CH2M Hill Fort Irwin UPP Engineering Manager Scott Boettcher.
"The project wouldn't have been possible without a lot of cooperation and collaboration locally," Boettcher said.
The project benefits many things at Fort Irwin including offsetting the drain on the installation's aquifer as well as reducing the amount of water going into the installation's wastewater pond system, he said.
Recycled water is most commonly used for landscape irrigation of schools grounds, parks, and golf courses, and more recently, however, it also has been used for recreation purposes, habitat restoration, and commercial uses such as paper production, heating and cooling, he said in an earlier interview.
Recycled water has been used safely in California for more than four decades, and although it frequently meets the same standards as drinking water, recycled water is not used or intended for consumption, Boettcher said.
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