The South County Regional Wastewater Authority (SCRWA)
SCRWA is a joint powers authority established to manage the treatment of wastewater for the Cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill. In partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the SCRWA also operates a recycled water facility co-located at the treatment plant site. The SCRWA plant was built in 1990 and is a model of energy efficiency and cost effective operation.
The plant uses state-of-the-art, fully automated, high-efficiency equipment to save costs and resources. The SCRWA reliably meets the steadily increasing demand for recycled water to irrigate local parks, golf courses, sports complex, landscape medians, agricultural and industrial uses. The plant’s remaining effluent is disposed of in percolation ponds. The ponds allow the water to soak into the soil and eventually add water to the underground aquifer. This is different from many other treatment plants in the Bay Area that discharge effluent directly to the Bay.
Discharge to ponds requires a more stringent level of treatment than is required for Bay discharge. The SCRWA produces a superior grade of effluent that consistently meets all state and federal regulatory requirements. The SCRWA plant has been the recipient of numerous awards in California for excellent facilities and operations.
Industrial User Definition
An industrial user is any non-residential discharger. An industrial user may not have any industrial wastewater, and may only have regular (domestic) sewage. However the pretreatment program applies to all non-residential dischargers because they have the potential to discharge other wastes to the system.
Industrial Waste Definition
Any non-domestic liquid or solid waste from any producing, manufacturing, processing or operation of a commercial, industrial, or institutional establishment of whatever nature. Industrial waste is distinct from sanitary or domestic waste.