A California City’s Groundbreaking Path to Water Self-Sufficiency – Governing

Report on Santa Monica’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) and its Contribution to Global Sustainability Goals

1.0 Introduction

This report analyzes the City of Santa Monica’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), a state-of-the-art water recycling initiative. The project serves as a critical case study in urban resilience and sustainable resource management, demonstrating a practical application of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By achieving 85% water self-sufficiency, SWIP provides a replicable model for cities facing water scarcity and climate-related challenges.

2.0 Project Overview and Strategic Objectives

SWIP is an advanced subterranean water treatment facility designed to secure a locally controlled, drought-resilient water supply. Its primary objectives align with long-term urban sustainability and environmental stewardship.

• Function: The facility treats a combination of municipal wastewater, stormwater, and urban runoff to standards exceeding potable water quality.
• Capacity: It produces one million gallons of purified water daily, replenishing the local groundwater basin.
• Innovation: SWIP is the first underground facility to treat both stormwater and raw wastewater in a single integrated system.
• Strategic Goal: The project is central to the city’s 2018 sustainable water master plan, which aims to reduce dependence on imported water, thereby enhancing resilience against seismic events and regional water shortages.

3.0 Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The SWIP initiative makes significant contributions across multiple SDGs, positioning Santa Monica as a leader in sustainable urban development.

3.1 SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The project directly addresses the core targets of SDG 6 by ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water.

• Water Recycling: By treating and reusing wastewater and runoff, SWIP creates a new, reliable source of clean water, reducing strain on conventional sources.
• Improved Water Quality: The advanced purification process removes contaminants, contributing to the overall health of the local groundwater aquifer.
• Integrated Water Resources Management: The project exemplifies integrated management by combining wastewater treatment, stormwater harvesting, and groundwater replenishment in a single strategy.

3.2 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SWIP enhances the inclusivity, safety, and resilience of Santa Monica, a key objective of SDG 11.

• Infrastructure Resilience: By reducing reliance on imported water from sources like the Colorado River, the city mitigates risks associated with earthquakes or other disruptions to regional water infrastructure.
• Sustainable Urban Planning: The facility’s location beneath a public parking lot demonstrates innovative land use, integrating critical infrastructure into a dense urban environment without consuming additional surface space.
• Environmental Impact Reduction: The project helps the city manage its environmental footprint by transforming urban runoff from a liability into a valuable resource.

3.3 SDG 14: Life Below Water

The project provides a direct benefit to marine ecosystems, in alignment with SDG 14.

• Pollution Reduction: A 1.5-million-gallon underground tank captures polluted stormwater and urban runoff that would otherwise flow into Santa Monica Bay.
• Marine Ecosystem Protection: By treating this runoff, SWIP prevents vast quantities of contaminants from harming coastal waters and marine life, addressing a major source of ocean pollution.

3.4 Additional SDG Contributions

1. SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): The project embodies circular economy principles by decoupling water access from the consumption of finite freshwater resources.
2. SDG 13 (Climate Action): As a climate adaptation strategy, SWIP strengthens the city’s resilience to drought and other climate-induced water stresses.
3. SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The project’s success was contingent on multi-stakeholder collaboration, including a $96 million funding plan involving low-interest state loans and support from county and regional water authorities.

4.0 Implementation and Future Directives

4.1 Financial and Governance Framework

The project’s realization was enabled by a robust financial strategy and strong municipal leadership. Despite the utility’s non-profit model, funding was secured through a collaborative approach, demonstrating a commitment to long-term investment in sustainable infrastructure. This partnership between city, county, and state agencies was critical to moving the project from a 2016 feasibility study to full operation by 2022.

4.2 Challenges and Path to Direct Potable Reuse

A primary future objective is the implementation of direct potable reuse (DPR), where purified water is introduced directly into the public water system. While the technology produces water that exceeds drinking standards, a key challenge remains public acceptance. The city is actively working to overcome this “human hurdle” as state regulations for DPR evolve. This forward-thinking approach, encouraged by city leadership, underscores a commitment to innovation and pioneering sustainable solutions.

5.0 Conclusion

The Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project is a landmark achievement in urban water management. It provides a tangible framework for achieving water security while making substantive contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6, SDG 11, and SDG 14. SWIP serves as an exemplary model for other municipalities seeking to build climate-resilient, sustainable, and self-sufficient communities through innovative infrastructure and strategic partnerships.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The core of the article focuses on Santa Monica’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), which involves treating wastewater, stormwater, and urban runoff to create a self-sufficient and safe water supply.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The project is a city-led initiative to build resilient infrastructure, reduce environmental impact, and ensure resource security, making Santa Monica more sustainable and prepared for emergencies like earthquakes.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: By creating a local, resilient water source, the city is adapting to the impacts of climate change, such as increased water scarcity, and strengthening its resilience to natural disasters that could disrupt imported water supplies.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: A key function of the SWIP is to capture and treat polluted urban runoff and stormwater that would otherwise flow into Santa Monica Bay, directly addressing the issue of land-based marine pollution.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Target 6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water. The project aims to secure a stable and safe water supply for the city’s residents, independent of external sources.
  • Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution… and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse. The SWIP directly implements this by treating wastewater, stormwater, and runoff and recycling it into purified water.
  • Target 6.4: Substantially increase water-use efficiency and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. The project is a direct response to water scarcity, aiming for “complete water self-sufficiency” by reducing dependence on imported water.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Target 11.5: Significantly reduce the… people affected and… direct economic losses… caused by disasters, including water-related disasters. The project was initiated out of fear that an “earthquake disrupted the water supply,” making it a key infrastructure for disaster resilience.
  • Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities. The project mitigates ocean pollution from urban runoff, reducing the city’s negative environmental footprint on the marine ecosystem.
• SDG 13: Climate Action
  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Water self-sufficiency enhances the city’s ability to withstand climate-related stresses like drought and other natural disasters.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water
  • Target 14.1: Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities. The article explicitly states the project diverts polluted runoff that would otherwise enter Santa Monica Bay, making a “significant dent in how much pollution reaches the ocean.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation):
  • Indicator for Target 6.4: The level of water stress and progress toward self-sufficiency is measured by the reduction in imported water. The city has moved from importing “almost half its water” to achieving “85 percent… complete water self-sufficiency.”
  • Indicator for Target 6.3: The volume of wastewater safely treated and reused is quantified. The facility produces “1 million gallons of purified water” daily.
  • Indicator for Target 6.1: The proportion of the population benefiting from the new supply is mentioned. The daily output is “enough to meet the needs of more than 20 percent of the city’s population.”
• For SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities):
  • Indicator for Target 11.5: The city’s resilience is measured by its reduced dependence on external water infrastructure, which was previously a major vulnerability in case of an earthquake.
• For SDG 14 (Life Below Water):
  • Indicator for Target 14.1: The capacity to mitigate land-based pollution is specified. The project includes a “1.5 million gallon stormwater harvesting tank” designed to capture polluted runoff before it reaches the ocean, addressing the “30 billion gallons of polluted runoff” that enter the bay annually.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: governing.com