A water district in drought-stricken east San Diego is tapping into a program that offers free recycled water for residents to use on their dry lawns.
Padre Dam Municipal Water District – which provides water service to 100,000 residents in some of San Diego’s East County communities – has just launched a recycled water program for customers in its service areas, including Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, Dehesa and Crest.
Beginning Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., residents can visit Padre Dam’s new Residential Recycled Water Fill Station in Santee, located at 9300 Fanita Pkwy., and fill up on free recycled water for residential landscape irrigation.
To get the free water, each customer must complete a short training, fill out an application and agreement available at the Fill Station and purchase a $5 identification card from the water district.
Padre Dam says residents must bring their own leak-free containers to the Fill Station to transport the water. Containers are limited to no smaller than one gallon but no bigger 300 gallons, and must have watertight lids. Fill Station attendants will approve the containers and give out stickers to those that meet the requirements. Customers with containers that don’t fit the bill will be asked to return with appropriately-sized containers.
Padre Dam says it’s important for residents to remember that water is heavy and make sure their vehicle can handle the amount of recycled water they intend on transporting.
Also, if residents wish to use their containers at a later time for drinking water, Padre Dam says the containers should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected using one tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.
In addition to containers, residents who would like to receive the free recycled water must verify they’re Padre Dam customers by bringing a copy or printout of their Padre Dam billing statement and a valid ID with an address that matches the billing statement.
For now, the recycled water program will be available twice a week at the Santee Fill Station: Tuesdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
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Short training sessions will be held at the boardroom on site each day the Fill Station is open. Residents with questions about the program can contact customer service at (619) 258-4600 or visit this website.
Earlier this month, the Olivenhain Municipal Water District tapped into this same concept, opening the first-ever recycled water station in the county for 4S Ranch residents.
That free Fill Station is located at the corner of Campania Avenue and Camino San Thomas and residential customers can pick up water through self-serve pumps on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The recycled water offered in 4S Ranch is also meant to be used to irrigate gardens and yards.
