Enhancing its reputation as a Green Campus, Loyola Marymount University has won a national award for water reuse and recycling. The recognition, from the national WateReuse Association, names LMU “The WateReuse Customer of the Year” for 2010. The award cited LMU for innovation and persistence in solving a problem with noxious odors from recycled water used to irrigate landscaping. The water is supplied to the campus by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power through the Westside Water Recycling Project. LMU saves about 49 million gallons of drinking water annually by irrigating 75% of its 142-acre campus with recycled water. That is enough to supply 300 homes with water for an entire year, said Jane Galbraith of the LADWP. Future plans call for expanding the program to the entire campus. The irrigation water is reclaimed from the Hyperion Plant in El Segundo and the classic rotten egg odor came from hydrogen sulfide, which forms in the 24-inch mains that carry the water around the area because the water stays in the pipeline long enough to lose its chlorine residuals, allowing sulfides to proliferate in the water. Because the campus is occupied 24 hours a day, the typical solution of watering at night is not suitable, said the citation to the award. “LMU staff experimented with various treatment chemicals to address the odor, selecting hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to chlorine because it is more effective at oxidizing hydrogen sulfide, safer to handle, and more in concert with the environment,” read the citation. To remedy the problem, LMU installed 200 feet of 24-inch PVC in a u-shaped configuration where the hydrogen peroxide is given time to clear the sulfides from the water before it is put through the irrigation pipes. The system is behind McKay Hall. School officials credited the solution to Gerald Robinson, former energy manager, and Joseph Reichenberger, professor of civil engineering (pictured). Robinson “drove the solution to this” and Prof. Reichenberger came up with the chemical and engineering answer, said Michael Lotito, director of plant operations. The system has been in use since November 2007. |