Kennedy Jenks Wins Grand Prize in Planning for Santa Monica Recycled Water Master Plan from AAEES

Kennedy Jenks (KJ), a leading water and industrial engineering firm, has been awarded the prestigious Grand Prize in Planning by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) for their outstanding work on the City of Santa Monica’s (City’s) Recycled Water Master Plan (RWMP). This recognition underscores KJ’s commitment to sustainable water management and innovative solutions for clients.

The RWMP helps the City maximize local water resources to achieve long-term water self-sufficiency and drought resilience by connecting the dots between existing systems, facilities in construction, and the need for new facilities that will serve growing populations well into the future.

We are thrilled with this recognition for the City’s RWMP, which provides an integrated approach to guide the City’s future infrastructure investments to optimize recycled water for non-potable reuse, indirect potable reuse, and direct potable reuse. For many years, the City has been at the forefront of implementing innovative reuse in California, utilizing alternative water supplies like urban runoff and stormwater for non-potable reuse. With the completion of the RWMP and recent treatment upgrades, they are well-positioned to expand to potable reuse and reduce dependencies on imported water supplies. — Dawn Taffler, KJ VP and Project Manager for the study

Key aspects to the success of the RWMP included the use of a GIS-based, radius of cost-effectiveness analysis to strategically identify customers that would be cost-effective to serve and the use of collaborative workshops to assess a range of projects and portfolios. The outcome was the selection of a balanced portfolio that can be delivered by the City, embraced by leadership, and supported by the community.

The City looks forward to using the RWMP as a guide for implementing its recycled water program and achieving water sustainability. The KJ team’s effort and quality of work are clear in this document, and KJ is a champion for water reuse. Their expertise and dedication is reflected in the elaborate Master Plan.

— Alex Waite, PE, Supervising Civil Engineer for the City of Santa Monica’s Water Resources Division