Chino Hills invests in recycled water to sustain urban green spaces
The city of Chino Hills, in southern California, factors water into every decision. Whether it’s managing growth or landscaping parks, the ethos is conservation first. The city actively partners with its drinking water wholesaler to entice its 82,000 residents to participate in domestic water efficiency incentives such as turf removal, low-flow washer rebates and sprinkler tune-up programs to reduce their water consumption.
This commitment to conservation has been tremendously successful. In fact, the city decreased its overall potable water use by 12% over a six-year period, despite its population growing by 10% during that time. Chino Hills’ water conservation efforts earned it the Helen Putnam Award in 2023, which recognizes outstanding efforts and innovative solutions by city governments in California.
Increasing non-potable applications
The city features 44 parks and over 3,000 acres of publicly owned open space, all of which consume large volumes of irrigation water to stay green. To preserve drinking water supplies and further its commitment to water conservation and sustainability, the city is expanding its recycled water irrigation system with two parallel projects: the Eucalyptus Avenue Recycled Water Line and Pavement Rehabilitation Project and the English Road Recycled Water Line Project.
Construction for both the Eucalyptus Avenue and English Road projects began in January. English Road will install 8,900 linear feet of 12-inch diameter PVC to provide irrigation for a popular park, an elementary school, a high school and the open space landscaping between them. Simultaneously, Eucalyptus Avenue will install 6,100 linear feet of 12-inch PVC pipe to irrigate local parks and open spaces.
The projects target high consumption areas to reduce potable water demand while maintaining the city’s open spaces. The Eucalyptus Avenue and English Road projects are expected to be completed this summer and fall, respectively. Road improvement work will follow these water recycling projects as part of a larger road improvement effort across the city.
Both projects are funded with a mix of American Rescue Plan Act grants and the city’s water utility budget.
Projected impact
Once completed, Chino Hills’ non-potable water system will stretch 28 miles, enhancing the distribution of a cheaper, more sustainable water source. The city used 220 acre-feet of reclaimed water during fiscal years 2023 and 2024 for irrigation and construction applications, such as compaction and dust control at construction sites, golf courses, parks and greenbelt common areas, parkways and medians, and school landscaping.
In addition to irrigating public spaces, the reclaimed water lines will have connections available for each property parcel, meaning residents, businesses, agricultural and equestrian customers will be able to opt into irrigating their property with recycled water. The lower billing rate of recycled water compared to drinking water offers customers a chance to economically benefit from these infrastructure investments while choosing a more sustainable irrigation water source.
Outlook
Non-potable water projects like the ones on English Road and Eucalyptus Avenue will likely become more popular as water scarcity and competing demands stress municipal water resources. While Chino Hills has no concrete plans for further expansion of its reclaimed irrigation system beyond these current projects, its dedication to preserving its water resources continues.
“Once these projects are complete, we may consider connecting the two in a future project for redundancy and resiliency,” noted Danny Hernandez, associate city engineer.
As Chino Hills continues to balance growth with sustainability, its investments in recycled water infrastructure serve as a strategic model for other municipalities facing similar water supply challenges. Whether through future expansions or increased customer connections, it is laying the groundwork for long-term water resilience – one purple pipe at a time.
No1: Chino Hill State Park (Shutterstock.com) 
No2: Heavy equipment moves a pipe into place. (Photo provided by Chino Hills, Calif.) 
No3: Chino Hills will install 8,900 linear feet of purple pipe along English Road, pictured on this map. (Map provided by Chino Hills, Calif.) 
No4: An overhead shot reveals work to install purple pipes in Chino Hills. (Photo provided by Chino Hills, Calif.) No5: This map shows purple pipe placement along one of the project routes — Eucalyptus Avenue — and Chino Hills Parkway. (Map provided by Chino Hills, Calif.)
