Tapia Water Reclamation Facility (TWRF), operated by the Las Virgenes-Triunfo JPA, applies state-of-the-art technology to transform wastewater into high-quality recycled water that is used to irrigate public and commercial landscaping such as golf courses, school grounds, highway medians and parks. Tapia helps reduce dependence on imported water, especially during the summer months when irrigation consumes all the recycled water Tapia produces.  

History

• Constructed at a low-point in the Malibu Creek watershed, allowing wastewater to flow by gravity to the treatment facility, reducing the need for pumps, infrastructure and energy use.
• Built in 1965 with a capacity of 0.5 MGD.
• Expanded in 1968 to a capacity of 2 MGD; 1972 to a capacity of 4 MGD; 1984 to a capacity of 8 MGD; 1986 to a capacity of 10 MGD; 1994 to current capacity of 16 MGD.
• Began water recycling in 1972.

Features

• Currently treats an average of 9.5 million gallons of wastewater per day.
• Six aeration tanks, each 160 feet by 30 feet and 15 feet deep, with 540 air injectors capable of adding 2,100 cubic feet of air per minute.
• 12 filters for tertiary treatment, each with a surface area of 253 square feet and a four-foot-deep bed of anthracite coal over one foot of gravel.
• An on-site, state-certified water quality laboratory.

The Las Virgenes Reservoir is in the hills just south of Westlake Village and provides a critical backup supply of drinking water for our customers. This helps to ensure reliable delivery of drinking water to LVMWD customers during peak seasonal demand, maintenance shutdowns, and emergencies. 

Water delivered to and stored in Las Virgenes Reservoir is treated potable water from the Metroplitan Water District of California (MWD), which originates as snowpack in the High Sierras and flows more than 400 miles through the State Water Project, which is owned and operated by the Department of Water Resources.

Although the water is fully treated to drinking water standards, federal regulation prohibits serving water stored in an open reservoir. The Westlake Filtration Plant, located at the reservoir site, provides the necessary treatment to disinfect and filter water before distributing to our service area. 

Westlake Filtration Plant features:

• A 20,000 sq ft. facility capable of disinfecting and filtering up to 18 million gallons per day (MGD)
• Uses 12 diatomaceous earth (DE) filters as the primary treatment process
• Disinfection is accomplished using chloramination

Click here to view when the Westlake Filtration Plant is operating 

Rancho Las Virgenes Composting Facility uses an advanced composting process to transform biosolid waste from the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility into a useful, rich soil amendment. This important step in the process redirects waste away from the landfill and embeds sustainability directly in our operations. The compost is then made available to the public for free pick-up via our Free Compost Program.  

State and federal safety tests are conducted throughout the process and again on the finished compost, to assure it is ready for use and that it meets the stringent standards for Class A garden compost, meeting all requirements for use on lawns and gardens, including vegetables grown for human consumption.

History

RLV began operating in November 1994, as the first in-vessel composting facility in Los Angeles County.

Capacity

Each year the compost facility saves enough landfill space to fill a football field to a height of one story. RLV processes about 120,000 gallons of biosolids per day and produces about 11,000 cubic yards of compost annually. RLV disposes of nearly all solids separated from wastewater at the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility.

Features

RLV is one of the most advanced, automated biosolids composting facilities in the world. The facility has:

• Enclosed processing for efficient odor control.
• Three anaerobic digesters; each 80 feet in diameter and 50 feet high.
• Two centrifuges, each with a 250 gallon-per-minute capacity for dewatering.
• 1/2-acre biofilter, which uses natural processes to control odors.

Currently under construction, the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) serves as the heart of the Pure Water Project, innovating a local water supply to advance a sustainable water future for the region. Learn more about the project here.