L.A. to expand recycling sewage into tap water

The expanded project is set to be built by the end of 2027 at a cost of $930 million.

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THE PROJECT under construction at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys will purify 45 million gallons per day.

(ERIC THAYER Los Angeles Times)

More than a dozen environmental advocates who spoke last week at the meeting where the vote was held praised the decision, saying the project is long overdue. They celebrated it as a solution that will bring Angelenos water reliably and economically, while enabling the L.A. Department of Water and Power to finally live up to its commitment to restore Mono Lake.

“This is a massive, massive achievement,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of the group Los Angeles Waterkeeper, adding that the project provides the “critical water security and water resilience that we need in L.A., with a drought-proof source of local water.”

When construction began 10 months ago at the sewage treatment plant, the project’s leaders soon saw the potential to nearly double the capacity by building an additional basement level at the site.