Adam Taylor, San Diego Coastkeeper Lab: San Diego Coastkeeper is currently sampling and retrieving data from 10 of San Diego County’s 11 watersheds. Watersheds - basin shaped areas of land where water from rain or snow flows down from higher elevation to lower lands and into streams, rivers, estuaries, and eventually the ocean. Protecting Surface Waters through Monitoring: Water samples are collected and tested for pH, temperature, and conductivity in the field. The water samples are then brought to the lab for bacteria and nutrient testing. Data is organized and analyzed, then expressed visually for easier comprehension. Supplementing and Protecting Our Water Supply Presented by: KhristinaRae Hernandez, Lara Barrett, and Adam Taylor San Diego City College MESA/NSF Introduction Method and Results Conclusion About the City of San Diego Water Department: The City of San Diego Water Department is committed to providing customers with safe, high-quality, reliable water service. Through the use of long-range planning, innovative cost-saving measures and cutting-edge technology, the Water Department is working to ensure safe, reliable service for generations to come. About San Diego Coastkeeper: San Diego Coastkeeper's Watershed Monitoring Program works with a wide variety of regulatory agencies, academic institutions, businesses and non-profit organizations along with dedicated volunteers to supplement the limited data resources available, protect sensitive ecosystems, identify and abate pollution sources, track the effectiveness of pollution prevention plans, and prevent further degradation of our precious water resources. KhristinaRae Hernandez, City of San Diego Water Dept. Recycled (Reclaimed) Water (RW): San Diego currently imports up to 90 percent of its water supply from Northern California and the Colorado River. To meet future water demand: The North City Water Reclamation Plant has the capability to treat 30 MGD. The South Bay Water Reclamation Plant can treat 15 MGD. Wastewater is treated to a level suitable for irrigation, and non-drinking purposes. Cost-effective, reliable and good for the environment. Current recycled water customers – UCSD, Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course, and Caltrans. Utilizing Recycled Water: Find sites that are conditioned and plot on map with the current recycled water pipeline. Conditioned- sites that will be constructed to use recycled water in the future. Search for the Job numbers in the City of San Diego Engineering Dept. Map Book. (400+ sites) Use the PTS Application to investigate which projects were actually conditioned (~100) Look for notation such as “The Owner/Permittee shall design and construct all on-site irrigation systems, served by irrigation meter, to utilized reclaimed water…” Plot sites on current Recycled Water pipeline map Procedure to retrofit a site: 1.Conduct Site Assessment 2.Prepare Design Drawings 3.Design Review & Plan Check 4.Retrofit Property 5.Test System 6.Sign User Agreement 7.Meter/Service Installation 8.Train Staff and Initiate Service We have found through our internship experience and from working as a team on this poster that it takes a dedicated group of citizens to keep our most valuable resource available. We have been able to network with peers and professionals in the water business to gain a better understanding of how infrastructure, facilities, and people make it possible for water to flow when you turn on the tap. We all understand that water is the next “big issue” and are all eager to continue our education in focus of environmental issues. Lara Barrett, City of San Diego Water Dept. Water Resources and Planning Division: Groundwater resources can supplement San Diego’s water supply and reduce our dependence on imported water. Water, Our Most Precious Resource San Diego County’s 11 Watersheds Researching Groundwater Resources: Use mapping software to gather information about existing and possible well sites Drill monitoring wells to gather data about water quality and aquifer characteristics Perform pump tests and note recovery rate to increase our understanding of San Diego’s groundwater basins Monitoring Well San Diego’s Groundwater Basins Although interns from the City of San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper worked together to present the information on this poster, please note that the City of San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper are not affiliated with one another. NSF Grant #: miles of RW pipeline ~16 additional miles by 2009 Top Left: My lab partner and I preparing a water sample to measure bacteria levels. Top/Bottom Right: A sample of water after incubation reacting with ultra violet light. This sample had very high levels of bacteria. Site to be retrofitted Acknowledgements We would like to thank the MESA program and the National Science Foundation for giving us the opportunity to collaborate with each other and to present our work as a team. Thank you also to our supervisors for their support and guidance. Lastly, thank you to our families for supporting our endeavors and encouraging our growth as we pursue our education and prepare for the future. Testing water samples for bacteria, nitrates and phosphates Mentors: Ramil Arroyo - Civil Engineer, Greg Cross - Civil Engineer, and Karen Franz - Coastkeeper Water Monitoring Program Coordinator Below: “Purple Pipes” pumping recycled water.