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6.1.E. - Page 10 <br /> Cost Concerns about Recycled Water <br /> Most recycled water projects are cost competitive with other water management options when <br /> the full range of benefits is considered. For example, the State Recycled Water Task Force, <br /> which convened in 2001, estimated that the cost of a recycled water program averaged about <br /> $1,025 per acre-foot(325,853 gallons). The Task Force noted this cost was comparable to costs <br /> of other water supply options, including new dams, reservoirs, and desalination. The Task <br /> Force's average unit cost estimate is very close to the average unit cost of 26 Bay Area recycled <br /> water projects evaluated in 2005. Collectively, the Bay Area projects had an average unit cost <br /> between $1,000 and$1,200 per acre-foot.�b <br /> People often use unequal comparisons when evaluating the relative cost of recycled water. For <br /> example, the cost of recycled water at the customer's location gets compared to the cost of other <br /> water supplies at their source, without taking into account the transmission, treatment, and <br /> distribution costs associated with moving water from its source to the customer's location. Cost <br /> comparisons with other supply options commonly ignore differences in delivery reliability and <br /> do not account for the cost of wastewater disposal and environmental impact." <br /> Federal, state, and local funding is available to help offset the cost of designing, constructing, <br /> and operating water recycling systems. Federal funding is available through the U.S. Bureau of <br /> Reclamation under Title XVI of the 1992 Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study& <br /> Facilities Act(PL 102-575).��State grants are available from a variety of sources including the <br /> State Water Board and the California Department of Water Resources.19 Local funding can <br /> include municipal debt repaid through utility rate increases, impact fees, or special assessments. <br /> Cost of Recycled Water to the End User <br /> To encourage the use of recycled water, end users often receive a discount on their water utility <br /> bills.2`�Redwood City, for example, uses the following recycled water pricing policy: <br /> • For existing irrigation meters/accounts that connect to recycled water: Twenty five <br /> percent discount on monthly water utility bills beginning with the first billing period <br /> following connection to the Recycled Water Project. Discount shall apply to prevailing <br /> drinking water rates and charges in effect at the time of physical connection. The City <br /> will perform and pay for customer site retrofits related to landscape irrigation. <br /> • For existing industrial meters/accounts that connect to recycled water: Forty percent <br /> discount on monthly water utility bills beginning with the first billing period following <br /> ,� <br /> http://www.barwc.or�/files/LinkClick.pdf <br /> i� <br /> Ibid. <br /> is <br /> US Department of the InteriorBureau of Reclamation—Title XVI(Water Reclamation and Reuse)Frogram, <br /> http://www.usbr.�ov/lc/socal/titlexvi.html(Dec. 19,2012). <br /> 19 <br /> California State Water Resources Control Board—Water Recycling Funding Frogram, <br /> http://www.waterboards.ca.�ov/water issues/pro�rams/�rants loans/water rec,c�� (Dec. 19,2012). <br /> zo <br /> http://en.wikipedia.or�/wiki/Reclaimed water <br /> 6 <br />