At the Jan. 29 San Diego section of the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) awards banquet, , which serves Santee and which is headquarted in the city, was awarded the 2010 Plant of the Year, Collection System of the Year, and an Engineering Achievement award.
will be going on to attempt to reclaim the California Plant of the Year award, which they previously won in 2005.
Three individual employees also recieved awards for innovations that CWEA recognizes is saving tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money.
The 2010 Wastewater Collection System of the Year was rated on seven criteria, from regulatory compliance, preventative measures, employee training, safety and emergency response. With 161 miles of pipeline, they competed in the 0-250 miles of pipeline category, and with 85 percent of the system being 50-100 years old, the award is even more meaningful.
Five million gallons of wastewater flow through the collection system everyday, with two million gallons recycled by Padre Dam.
The Engneering Achievement award was given for a certain aspect of the diversion system, which allows the water district to divert excess water to the County's collection system during peak flows. The key aspect for the award is that during the night, when wastewater flows are low, water can be drawn back into the Padre Dam water recycling program for 24 hour water recycling.
