From November through April, highly treated wastewater effluent is released to Miller Creek which leads to San Pablo Bay. From May through October, plant effluent is then permitted to be reused in a few ways. Plant effluent that is not sent directly to the District’s membrane ultrafiltration recycled water facility is directed to the reclamation storage ponds. From the storage ponds, the water can be used in the District’s pasturelands for crop irrigation, which is typically certified organic hay. Stored water can also be pumped back to the treatment plant to supplement flows during periods of low plant influent flow during the early morning hours when there is little human activity.

Interestingly, this time of day also corresponds with an increase in recycled water demand from the customers of our partner agencies, Marin Water and North Marin Water District, as most of this resource is used for landscape irrigation.

The land used for these purposes is called the reclamation area. It was built in 1985 on 385 acres of property acquired from the St. Vincent’s School for Boys. The project includes a 20 acre wildlife marsh, 40 acres of storage ponds, a 10 acre saltwater marsh, 20 acres of irrigate landscaping and 200 acres of irrigated pasture.

As a part of this project, LGVSD dedicated three and one half miles of public access easements along the shore of the storage ponds and around the freshwater marsh. The salt water and freshwater marshes have attracted a great deal of wildlife including many migratory waterfowl. The Audubon Society has cataloged over 200 species of birds within the area.

The walking paths are part of the 500-Mile Shoreline Trail Around the Bay in collaboration with the Bay Trail.  For more information about the Bay Trail click here.