Rancho Water Optimizes Operations Through Energy Efficiency
The Rancho California Water District (Rancho Water/District) serves 150 square miles in Southwest Riverside County, which includes the cities of Temecula and Murrieta. As an innovative leader in the community, Rancho Water is dedicated to advancing energy efficiencies through the use of solar facilities, new construction, partnerships, and facility upgrades.

The District’s expansive groundwater basin and 43,000-acre-foot reservoir allow Rancho Water to maximize local water supplies and recycle 100% of its reclaimed water. Groundwater pumping and booster pumps account for nearly 82% of Rancho Water’s electric use as it moves water through 1,000 miles of pipeline and up to elevations of nearly 3,000 feet. To reduce its use of the energy grid, Rancho Water has made improvements throughout the District with forward-thinking programs and projects including solar facilities with thousands of energy-producing panels, participation in several Energy Demand Response Programs, and the implementation of a groundwater optimization program which uses real-time monitoring to balance energy demands, water production, water quality, and consumer demands maximizing production of local low-cost groundwater supplies.

As part of the Santa Rosa Regional Resources Authority joint powers authority (JPA), Rancho Water recently completed a $34-million-dollar, three-year construction project to enhance energy and operating efficiencies for the Santa Rosa Water Reclamation Facility (SRWRF). The upgraded facility processes 2.6 million gallons of wastewater per day on average, with the capacity to double that as needed. The upgrades included in the project, such as the new energy-efficient hybrid blowers, have reduced energy use in the secondary process by 40% and energy use at the plant as a whole by at least 30%. A significant portion of the remaining energy is powered by a 1.0-megawatt solar facility that feeds the plant.

Rancho Water has been successful in securing grant funding to advance its energy-saving projects from agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the County of Riverside. These energy-efficient implementations not only save money for the District, but allow Rancho Water to better serve its customers, reduce energy consumption during peak periods and positions the District to lead the way towards sustainable future.