Recycled Water

The City of Cerritos irrigates more than 200 acres of City-owned property, including most parks, parkways and medians, with recycled water. The waste water originates from industries, businesses and homes and is treated by a three-stage process by the Sanitation District before being used for irrigation.

The recycled water is purchased from the Los Coyotes Water Reclamation Plant, located west of the 605 freeway and north of the 91 freeway, adjacent to the City's Iron-Wood Nine Golf Course. Although the Reclamation Plant is owned by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, the City of Cerritos constructed a 15,000 gallon per minute pump station on the Sanitation District's property and a recycled water distribution system in 1988 at a cost of approximately $8.9 million. The system now distributes recycled water through 25 miles of water lines citywide.

In addition to City-owned property, the recycled water is also used for landscape irrigation at schools, a community college, a county park, a cemetery, freeway landscaping and privately owned landscaped areas, such as the Cerritos Towne Center and commercial nurseries. The City's Iron-Wood Nine Golf Course was the first facility in the City to use recycled water, beginning in 1978.

The use of recycled water saves approximately 722 million gallons of potable water per year.