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Recycled Water

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Delta Diablo Residential Recycled Water Fill Station

UPDATE

Residential Recycled Water Fill Station CLOSED.

During the previous drought Delta Diablo (District) opened a pilot Residential Recycled Water Fill Station (RRWFS) as a commitment to the responsible use of water resources and to support the statewide effort to conserve potable water supplies. After the drought emergency declaration was lifted in 2017, the District adopted language which would explore the need to reopen the pilot facility when a future drought condition or potable water supply limitation resulting in mandatory conservation directives and potable water use restrictions impacted residents within the District’s service area. Based on interest expressed by a small group of residents within the District’s service area, the RRWFS was reopened from August 28 through September 25, 2021, however participation was lower than expected. At this time the facility has been CLOSED, however the District will continue to monitor the current drought and interest in obtaining recycled water to determine if it is appropriate to reopen the RRWFS in the future. Thank you for continuing to conserve our most valuable resource, water.

Please check back here for updates or for more information about the RRWFS, please contact us by email at info@deltadiablo.org or phone at 925.756.1900.

Residential Recycled Water Fill Station

Between 2011 and 2014 California experienced the driest years since historical record-keeping began back in 1898. This, combined with the lack of precipitation from 2015’s El Niño year, led Governor Jerry Brown to institute a mandatory 25% reduction in water usage beginning June of 2015. In July, Delta Diablo opened a pilot Residential Recycled Water Fill Station (RRWFS) to aid with California’s state-wide drought. With the drought emergency declaration, several water purveyors were required to make drastic reductions in water usage to meet the 25% curtailment. Reduction efforts were quickly passed on to the public with the implementation of water use restrictions and fines. Most cities limited overall water usage, irrigation days, and imposed fines for excessive water usage. This gave Delta Diablo the opportunity to provide the public with an environmentally defensible option to maintain their lawns, gardens, and landscaping through the drought, while helping to conserve drinking water supplies.

The RRWFS originally opened in July 2015 through December, registering 480 residents and giving away over 2 million gallons. Northern California experienced normal rainfall in 2015-16, however, Southern California had below-average precipitation, resulting in the continuation of the drought declaration. The RRWFS reopened in May 2016, remaining open until October while distributing an additional 2 million gallons and registering another 120 residents. The 2016-17 winter was the wettest on record for Northern California, surpassing the last record set in 1982-83.  In February, Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom Lake began simultaneously dumping water for flood control. Lake Oroville was required to use their emergency overflow for the first time in 48 years. In response to the heavy precipitation Governor Brown lifted the drought declaration on April 7, 2017. With the end of the drought, Delta Diablo decided to offer one more year of the RRWFS. With copious amounts of precipitation, and the rescind of the drought declaration, many residents turned back to potable water to irrigate their lawns and gardens. The RRWFS opened from July through October 2017; however, participation dwindled to 60 residents, and recycled water distribution dropped to half a million gallons for the season.

In total, from July 2015 through October 2017, Delta Diablo registered 600 residents who made over 18 thousand visits and offset domestic (drinking) water usage by claiming over 5 million gallons of recycled water. While recycled water is a great option to offset domestic water use, driving and hauling of water can become expensive and burdensome. The gas used to drive to and from the fill station results in a negative impact on our environment, increasing our carbon footprint. Delta Diablo closed the facility with language to evaluate reopening the RRWFS in the future if drought conditions or potable water supply limitations which result in a mandatory conservation and potable water use restrictions were imposed, which impact residents within the District’s service area.

Program Guidelines

Eligible participants include residents from Antioch, Bay Point, and Pittsburg.

The recycled water can be used to hand-water lawns, gardens, and landscaping to help save drinking water supplies. 

The recycled water has not been treated to drinking water standards and should not be ingested or allowed to run off into storm drains.

Location, Dates, and Hours

The Delta Diablo Residential Recycled Water Fill Station is located at Delta Diablo's water resource recovery facility, 2500 Pittsburg-Antioch Highway, Antioch, California, on the border between Pittsburg and Antioch.

Fill Station will be CLOSED until further notice.

The day and hours of operation are:

Saturday:

CLOSED.

The operating schedule of the RRWFS will be adjusted periodically through the year to match the customer demand and to accommodate the seasonal and wet weather impacts on irrigation requirements. The Fill Station is not open during rainy conditions (rain the day of, prior to, or the day after).  Residents are not able to receive recycled water outside of the posted operation hours.  

How to Obtain Recycled Water

All customer exiting and new must complete the following:

Prior to your first trip to the RRWFS

During your first trip to the RRWFS

  • Submit the previously filled out Residential Recycled Water Use Application/Agreement,
  • Verify you have reviewed the RRWFS training material,
  • Pay a one-time annual access fee of $50 (paid by check (preferred) or cash, which allows customers, from the same household, to receive an unlimited amount of recycled water during operating hours, at a maximum of 300 gallons per trip), and
  • Be issued a 2021 user ID card (previously issued user ID cards are no longer valid).

Customers will be required to social distance and wear masks while on site. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in expulsion from the facility.

Recycled Water Containers

Customers are using a variety of containers, as well as pumps for pumping water from containers to a manual sprinkler or wand. A list of suggestion with sources, is provided courtesy of Dublin San Ramon Services District.

Your containers must have water-tight lids, not leak, and be secured for safe transport.  NOTE: Garbage cans (metal or plastic) are not suitable containers for safely transporting water and will not be allowed.  

The maximum fill per trip is 300 gallons, but you can return as often as you like. There is no limit on number of trips per day. (We are enforcing the 300-gallon limit. If you arrive with a container that holds more than 300 gallons, you will only be allowed to take 300 gallons. If you show up with two large totes that each hold 275 gallons or more, you will be turned away and not allowed to fill either tote).

Minimum container size is one gallon.  

Please note…water is heavy! Ten gallons weigh more than 80 pounds; 100 gallons weigh more than 800 pounds. When driving vehicles with such heavy loads, be sure to allow for additional stopping distances.

If watering your front yard, lawn signs indicating the use of recycled water are available. Please ask the attendant when visiting the Fill Station.

At the end of the season, containers must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected (1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water) before they can be used for potable (drinking) water.

Do Not Connect to Buried Irrigation Systems

Tanks, pumps, hoses, and equipment that contain recycled water must not be connected to buried irrigation systems, even if those systems are disconnected from your drinking water system. This is a human health concern. We do not want you or your neighbors to end up drinking recycled water due to an illegal interconnection between the drinking water supply and recycled water supply. Any such connection violates the state’s drinking water regulations, the Residential Recycled Water Use Application/Agreement you sign in order to use the Fill Station, and your city’s water code. Violators may be subject to fines and loss of Fill Station privileges.

Recycled Water

Delta Diablo is currently partnered with several cities, schools, businesses, and agencies to effectively use Recycled Water to offset potable (drinking) water usage.   

Recycled water produced by Delta Diablo meets all regulatory requirements for unrestricted, non-potable uses.  For recycled water quality data, click here. 

Water Conservation Efforts

California has experienced several episodes of drought and increasingly drastic fluctuations in weather throughout the century. Drought and weather fluctuations caused by weather conditions, economic and political actions, as well as population growth, and farming. To provide a sustainable future for generations to come, water conservation must be a way of life. Delta Diablo encourages people to look at ways to continue to conserve water in the future.  Here are some ways to do your part and help conserve:

  • Irrigate efficiently – Do not over water.  Decrease water usage as the seasons change and temperatures decline. Water for short periods, allowing the water to be absorbed and not run off into storm drains. Water in the early morning when it is cooler and there will be less evaporation.
  • Tune-up your irrigation system – Repair any broken sprinkler heads or leaks. Perform a coverage test after mowing to make sure you don’t get ponding, dry spots, or overwater.
  • Plant drought tolerant gardens – replace plants with ones that need only a small amount of water. Replace grass with rock or artificial turf.
  • Replace water fixtures – Replace shower heads, toilets, and faucets with low-flow, low-water usage versions. Replace dishwashers and other water using appliances with energy efficient, low-flow versions. Many of these products offer incentive rebates, which can save you money. 

Delta Diablo Links

    Other Bay Area Fill Stations: