Two Recycled Water Projects for California Water Service Group Subsidiaries Included in House Bill 5302 (McNerney, CA-09)

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a collective effort to develop sustainable sources of water supplies in California and Hawaii, California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) subsidiaries California Water Service (Cal Water) and Hawaii Water Service (Hawaii Water) have each proposed a recycled water project that is included in Rep. Jerry McNerney’s (CA-09) new federal bill, the “Western Water Recycling and Drought Relief Act.” Bill H.R. 5302, designed to strengthen these states’ water infrastructure by adding a total of almost 20,000 acre-feet of new water supplies, includes 12 projects from utilities that are part of the Western Recycled Water Coalition; if the bill is enacted, it will offset the costs for the utilities to design, plan, and construct the facilities.

Cal Water’s King City District will be home to the City of King Recycled Water Project, which will provide Title 22-quality tertiary, non-potable, recycled water for agricultural and landscape irrigation, using treated wastewater from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The project, which will provide a maximum daily flow of 2.1 million gallons in the near-term phase and 3.2 million gallons per day at build-out, will include cloth disk filters, UV disinfection, storage, and distribution piping and pumping. 

The Waikoloa Beach Resort Wastewater Reclamation Facility Expansion Project on Big Island will upgrade Hawaii Water’s existing 1 million-gallon-per-day facility at the resort. The plant utilizes membrane bio-reactor (MBR) filtration to produce R-1 recycled water, the highest-quality reclaimed water defined by the Hawaii State Department of Health, which can be used without restriction for irrigation. The upgrade will include flow equalization, grit removal, an MBR cassette service crane, MBR aeration equipment, and building improvements to enhance system reliability.

 “As a responsible steward of the environment, it is important that we create and implement long-term water supply projects to keep our water sources sustainable,” said President and CEO Martin A. Kropelnicki. “We are pleased that Rep. McNerney has included these important projects in his bill and thankful for his leadership; that of Reps. Gabbard (HI-2), Swalwell (CA-15), and Panetta (CA-20), cosponsors of the bill; and the cooperative work of this coalition, as these projects will truly enable us to fulfill our promise to provide quality, service, and value to our customers and communities for generations to come.”

About California Water Service Group
California Water Service Group is the parent company of California Water Service, Washington Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, CWS Utility Services, and HWS Utility Services. Together, these companies provide regulated and non-regulated water service to more than 2 million people in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii.  California Water Service Group’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CWT.” Additional information is available online at www.calwatergroup.com.

Released December 26, 2019