Inland Empire Brine Line
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
What is the Brine Line?
The Inland Empire Brine Line is a unique and indispensable resource for the Inland Empire region, providing a facility for exporting salt from inland areas to the ocean. Salt export is important for protecting water quality and meeting regulatory requirements. The Brine Line provides a viable salty wastewater disposal facility for industries that generate salty wastewater during the manufacturing process, or from cooling, boiler blowdown or other processes. Salty wastewater from industry is redirected from the local wastewater treatment plant to the Brine Line, reducing the salt discharged from treatment plants into the Santa Ana River protecting plants and animals dependent on lower salt water and reducing the salt which percolates into the groundwater basins.
The Inland Empire Brine Line is an effective and economical means for customers to dispose of salty wastewater. Like much of the Inland Empire, Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) in inland areas have TDS* restrictions which may prevent your industry from discharging its waste to the sanitary sewer. The Inland Empire Brine Line transport this salty wastewater to a treatment plant operated by the Orange County Sanitation District. After treatment, the water is discharged to the Pacific Ocean. With the Inland Empire Brine Line, you can now dispose of waste locally without the need for trucking it outside of the region.
How does it work?
Direct Disposal
- Customers who produce a higher volume of salty wastewater and are in close proximity to construct a direct Brine Line connection.
Hauled Liquid Waste
• Customers who typically generate a small amount of high salinity waste or who cannot connect directly to the Brine Line due to location.
• Liquid waste is disposed of at one of the four Brine Line Collection Stations using a permitted commercial Waste Hauler (refer to map for location of the Stations).
• Everyone within the SAWPA service area is within 20 miles of a Brine Line Collection Station.
Who does it benefit?
Businesses
Industries that typically benefit from disposal of salty waste water to the Brine Line include:
• Biotech Manufacturing
• Power Plants/Co-Generation Plants
• Medical Supply Manufacturing
• Water Purification Plants (bottled water and ion exchange facilities)
• Computer Chip Manufacturers
• Commercial Laundries
• Food/Beverage Processing
Industries that use the following may also benefit:
• Large Water Softeners (the regeneration waste is high in TDS*)
• Large Cooling Towers (the process wastewater is typically high in TDS*)
• Large Boilers (the process wastewater is typically high in TDS*)
• Ultra-pure water (the processes used to make the ultra-pure water generate high TDS* wastewater)
Environment
The Inland Empire Brine Line plays a crucial role in protecting and improving our watershed. By removing approximately 500,000 lbs of salt per day, it effectively enhances the quality of groundwater by eliminating salt and contaminants. The primary objective of the Inland Empire Brine Line is to remove salts from the watershed, enabling more efficient utilization of groundwater resources. Additionally, it facilitates the expansion of water reclamation efforts ad allows for the utilization of groundwater from aquifers that may otherwise be unusable due to high salt or contaminant levels.
Cost
The cost of disposal is dependent on three factors:
– Volume Discharged
– Concentration of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
– Concentration of Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
Brine Line disposal costs on the order of $0.05/gallon for low concentration BOD/TSS brine waste, compared to $0.25/gallon for brine waste disposal in the Los Angeles Basin at a hazardous material handling facility.
Customers in the Inland Empire may have a cost advantage over those in the rest of the Los Angeles Basin.
*Approximate Disposal Cost for One Million Gallons of Brine Water (See chart on left)
Customers
SAWPA Brine Line
Becoming a Customer
The Inland Empire Brine Line lets you take advantage of the lower business operating costs in the Inland Empire!
Process to Become a Hauled Liquid Waste Discharge Customer- Fastest Way to Connect
- Review the Liquid Waste Hauler Application Instructions before you complete and submit a Liquid Waste Hauler Application .
- Your permit application will be reviewed and a representative will visit your business to complete the permitting process.
- Once approved, a permit for waste disposal will be issued. The permit will include monitoring requirements and contingency plan in the event that the Brine Line Collection Station is not temporarily available.
- Contract with a permitted waste hauler for disposal of the waste at one of the four Brine Line Collection Stations.
Process to Become a Direct Discharge Customer
1. Contact SAWPA for discharge requirements and costs.
2. Purchase capacity to dispose and treat the waste.
3. Complete and submit a Discharge Permit Application .
4. Submit construction plans for approval to SAWPA and the appropriate City/Agency.
5. Once the contracts are in place, the permit is approved/issued and the lateral line constructed, the tie-in can be made and operation can begin.
6. The permit will include monitoring requirements and a requirement for a contingency plan for your liquid wastes in case the Brine Line is temporarily not available.
We Are the Solution to Your Salt Disposal Problem!
Future Plans
Over the next five years, a total of 11 future projects have been planned to ensure the quality and protection of the Inland Empire Brine Line. These projects encompass a range off essential activities, including repairs, thorough inspections, and comprehensive condition assessments, all aimed at safeguarding the safety and performance of the pipeline. These critical maintenance projects are expertly managed by the highly skilled Engineering and Operations Department at SAWPA, ensuring the continued reliability and efficiency of the Brine Line.
