EVMWD OKs $217 million sewer expansion

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD), which provides water and sewer service for almost all of Canyon Lake residents, approved a $217 million contract for the expansion of its wastewater treatment plant at its Regional Water Reclamation Facility at its June board meeting.

The sewer facility capacity will be expanded by four million gallons per day, allowing for future growth in the EVMWD service area and meeting updated State of California regulatory requirements.

“The EVMWD Board’s approval awarding a contract for the plant expansion will help the district meet the area’s increasing growth and position us for future needs,” EVMWD General Manager Greg Thomas said. “Our service area is only 35 percent built out, and state and federal regulations continue to change.”

In 2019, EVMWD completed a variety of necessary upgrades to the plant and to its distribution control system. EVMWD is now moving into the next phase of the project, with Shimmick Construction Company, Inc. from Irvine, CA heading up the expansion project.

“EVMWD is committed to improving and expanding aging infrastructure to ensure reliability of services now and into the future,” Greg said.

Key wastewater improvements funded by the contract include the addition of a new fine screen facility, two new aeration basins, a new membrane bioreactor facility, a new ultraviolet disinfection facility, a new belt press building, the expansion of headworks and of the influent pump station and  new odor control facilities.

In 2021, EVMWD’s board of directors secured a $129.8 million in-state low-interest loan funding for the expansion. These funds ensure that the community’s wastewater treatment and recycled water needs are met through 2025 and beyond, Greg said. The funding saves approximately $50 million dollars in interest expenses over the next 30 years that leads to direct long-term savings for ratepayers.

First constructed in 1985, the plant has undergone expansions in 1998 and 2003. Currently, the plant can treat eight million gallons of wastewater per day. Once the plant expansion is complete, it will be able to handle up to 12 million gallons per day. The plant expansion is expected to be completed in 2026.