City Department of Utilities staff are preparing to bring online a new water treatment facility that will be the largest of its type in the city of Sacramento.
The Shasta Groundwater Treatment Facility is located near Cosumnes River College and can produce up to 4 million gallons of drinking water per day – more than quadruple the amount of any other City groundwater facility.
“We’re training staff right now on usage of the facility so it will be ready, we expect, by the end of September,” said Megan Thomas, a senior DOU engineer who is leading the project.
To collect the water, one of two pumps will pull water from wells that go underground by as much as 1,200 feet.
The water will be filtered, treated and stored in an onsite 4-million gallon tank.
From there, it will be distributed to residents and businesses in the area.
Thomas said people could notice a change of taste in their tap water from the new source.
“This area has largely received water from our river treatment plants, so as the new water is mixed in, people in nearby neighborhoods might notice their water tastes a little different,” she said.
The project cost about $23.5 million, which includes funding from development impact fees, grants and water rates. Construction on the facility started in 2016.
According to staff, the Shasta Groundwater Treatment Facility will provide water for current and planned developments in the area as well as help the City better use its groundwater during dry periods.
Up to 20 percent of the city’s drinking water comes from groundwater and about 80 percent comes from the Sacramento and American rivers.