Yes, in our service area, recycled water is not to be used in swimming pools, spas, fountains, misters, decorative fixtures, and fish ponds. Only landscape and garden irrigation uses are permitted.

Yes. Homeowners supplied with recycled water need to submit irrigation plans to EID. If a landscape contractor is hired, the company needs to be on EID’s approved list. EID staff reviews your irrigation plan and inspects the construction of the irrigation system. Each year, the recycled water system is inspected to verify no cross-connection between the drinking water and recycled water systems has occurred.

 Recycled Water Webpage

If your home is located in a dual-plumbed subdivision, you are required to use recycled water for your landscape irrigation. State regulations do not permit conversions of the landscape irrigation system to drinking water.

he California Department of Health Services has approved the use of “disinfected tertiary treated recycled water” for irrigation of:

1. food crops, including all edible root crops, where the recycled water comes into contact with the edible portion of the crop
2. parks and playgrounds;
3. school yards;
4. residential landscaping;
5. unrestricted access golf courses.

These uses are listed in Title 22, Chapter 3, Division 4, of the California Code of Regulations. In EID’s service area, recycled water is used only for landscape irrigation.

1. Saves you money on your water bill.
2. Supplies nutrients to your lawn and plants.
3. Conserves drinking water that would otherwise be used for irrigation use.
4. Provides El Dorado County with a reliable, growing, and drought-resistant water supply.
5. Provides an alternative to wastewater release into local streams and creeks.

As noted above, recycled water is reclaimed wastewater that goes through three stages of treatment: primary, secondary, and tertiary. During primary treatment, most of the solids, oils, and greases are removed from the water. Secondary treatment employs bacteria to remove nearly all remaining solids and organic material. In tertiary treatment, filtration removes the remaining solids in the water. Chlorine or ultraviolet light then destroys bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.

Currently, recycled water costs 20% less than drinking water.

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Your recycled water is continuously monitored to make sure it meets and exceeds the stringent standards set by the California Department of Health Services and the Regional Water Quality Control Board for landscape irrigation.

Pets often drink from puddles or other unsanitary places without apparent ill effects. EID recommends that you use drinking water for household pets. Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations does not address household pets.

Recycled water comes from wastewater collected from the El Dorado Hills area in the western part of the District’s service area. This water is treated, filtered, and disinfected to a “tertiary” level that meets standards established by the California Department of Health Services. The water is delivered to your home for landscape irrigation in a system of purple pipes that is completely separate from your drinking water system.

Across California and the United States and worldwide, people are benefiting from the use of recycled water. In El Dorado county EID supplies new residential developments and businesses in the El Dorado Hills area with recycled water for landscape irrigation.