Water Reclamation
The San Bernardino Municipal Water Department has operated the Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) since 1973. The WRP is a 33 MGD Regional Secondary Treatment facility that provides trusted, quality wastewater treatment services for the following cities and areas:
- East Valley Water District
- Loma Linda
- Patton State Hospital
- San Bernardino
- San Bernardino International Airport
- Unincorporated San Bernardino County areas
Staff
The WRP is staffed continuously by a select team of certified operators and mechanics who utilize modern wastewater treatment processes to maintain compliance with required discharge limits.
Discharge Standards
Primary and secondary treatment processes are employed to meet the discharge standards specified in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Permit (NPDES) issued to the WRP by the State of California Regional Water Quality Control Board. Secondary treated wastewater from the WRP discharges to an offsite tertiary treatment facility operated jointly by the cities of San Bernardino and Colton.
Rapid Infiltration & Extraction Facility
The Rapid Infiltration and Extraction (RIX) facility receives approximately 33 MGD of secondary treated wastewater from the WRP and Colton’s treatment facility. Natural bio-filtration is employed through the use of percolation basins and ultra-violet disinfection is used to meet the State of California Title 22 tertiary standards, in addition to the discharge standards specified in a separate NPDES permit issued to the RIX facility. RIX treated wastewater consistently meets or exceeds required discharge standards and is often superior in quality to effluent produced through conventional tertiary facilities.
We continuously search for new and improved methods to maintain compliance with required discharge limits and conserve our natural resources.
Fuel Cell
Learn more about the FuelCell Energy system at the SBMWD Water Reclamation Plant.
Water Reclamation Plant Master Plan
View the Water Reclamation Plant Facilities Assessment and Master Plan
Sewer Collection System Master Plan
With thorough consultation and planning, San Bernardino Municipal Water Department developed the 2019 update of the Sewer Collection System Master Plan. This plan serves as the Department’s roadmap toward future improvements and maintenance of the City of San Bernardino Sewer Collections System. The 2019 update of the Sewer Collection System Master Plan was adopted by the City of San Bernardino Water Board on April 28, 2020.
View the 2019 Sewer Collection System Master Plan Update
Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP)
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for Sanitary Sewer Systems, Water Quality Order No. 2006-0003 (Sanitary Sewer Order) on May 2, 2006.
The Sanitary Sewer Order requires public agencies that own or operate sanitary sewer systems to develop and implement sewer system management plans and report all sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to the State Water Board’s online SSO database.
If you would like more information about the SSMP for the City of San Bernardino, then please select one of the following links: