Metropolitan Water District celebrated the activation of its largest solar power project last week, and the agency’s board further authorized another similar investment on August 16. Metropolitan’s board has voted to invest US$6.76 million in developing a 1MW solar power facility at the district’s Joseph Jensen Water Treatment Plant in Granada Hills.
“This project is another clear example of a much larger strategy that merges the needs of the environment and those of the economy,” said Metropolitan board Chairman Randy Record. “We need water for our homes and industries. Yet we need to supply it in a sustainable way. Converting our treatment plants to run more on solar power marks another milestone in our movement toward environmental sustainability.”
On August 9, Metropolitan put a 3MW solar installation at the district’s F.E. Weymouth Water Treatment Plant in La Verne online. The 15.5-acre-covering PV system is Metropolitan’s largest one so far, and it is expected to generate approximately 6.5 million kWh of electricity per year.
On the other hand, the newly announced 1MW solar facility is expected to produce 2.3 million kWh of clean energy a year, offsetting about 20% of power used by the water treatment plant. This project also marked Metropolitan’s fourth major solar investment in the district. The rest two solar facilities include a 1MW project at Robert A. Skinner Water Treatment Plant and a 500kW project at the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center.
Jensen is Metropolitan’s largest treatment plant and the largest west of the Mississippi River, with the ability to treat up to 750 million gallons of water per day. The plant serves Ventura County, the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the Palos Verde Peninsula.