Pittsburg’s recycled water

The City of Pittsburg recycles and reuses water throughout the city in an effort to conserve water when possible. Recycled water is a great solution to water shortages because it saves millions of gallons of freshwater for drinking, cooking and other purposes that would have otherwise been used for landscaping. Whenever you see purple pipes or signs, that means that recycled water is in use, a signal that Pittsburg is using water efficiently.

The water recycling process

Recycled water is also known as reclaimed water, and it is wastewater that has been processed through three-levels of treatment before being tested for safety and prepared for specific uses.

In Pittsburg, used water flows to the Delta Diablo Sanitation District treatment plant in Antioch. There, it undergoes extensive cleaning process, including flocculation, filtration and disinfection to remove bacteria and viruses from the water. Treated wastewater, including recycled water, undergoes extensive testing to ensure that it meets strict standards set by the California Department of Health Services.

Recycled water uses

The City of Pittsburg currently uses recycled water in Central Park, Columbia Linear Park, and 8th Street Linear Park, as well as City Park, City Hall, Stoneman North Park and Delta View Golf Course. In total, the City saves over 520-acre feet (or 170 million gallons) of potable water every year.

Is recycled water safe?

Yes. The California Department of Health has standards for the quality and safety of recycled water. Extensive testing is performed on recycled water to ensure water quality standards are met, but for extra safety, it is not used or intended for consumption. To ensure that the recycled water does not mix with drinking water supplies, the recycled water system uses separate purple pipes. 

Pittsburg Water’s rates: A closer look

We can only charge customers what it costs to deliver water services to their property, and no more. There are two parts that make up our monthly water bills: water usage rates and fixed meter charges.