Los Angeles unveils Hyperion advanced water purification pilot for Pure Water Los Angeles

City officials on April 15 opened a pilot advanced water purification facility at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant as a demonstration project for the Pure Water Los Angeles program.

The pilot is designed to produce about 1.5 million gallons per day of highly treated recycled water for nonpotable reuse at Los Angeles International Airport and for reuse onsite at Hyperion, officials said. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting framed the project as one step in a long-term, multi-decade effort to expand local supply and resilience amid chronic drought and growing demand.

Officials described the plant’s digestion process, in which microorganisms consume solids and produce methane that the plant captures to generate electricity to run operations. They said the project integrates stormwater capture and street greening, with co-benefits including pollutant removal, cooler sidewalks, and improved parkway plantings in neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights.

City presenters placed the pilot in historical context, noting that Los Angeles currently imports most of its drinking water via the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado River, and Sierra watershed sources. The Pure Water Los Angeles program — described at the event as a citywide initiative to deliver local recycled supply and groundwater recharge — aims to expand advanced treatment capacity and pursue eventual direct potable reuse as regulations and infrastructure allow.

Speakers stressed that recycled water for drinking is not yet available citywide and that strict regulatory and monitoring safeguards would govern any future potable reuse. The pilot is intended to yield operational data and public information to guide the larger program, including groundwater recharge and distribution planning.

Next steps outlined at the event include continuing the demonstration work, monitoring treated-water quality to meet regulatory standards, and assessing how the pilot’s output can be integrated into groundwater replenishment and nonpotable service at large water users such as airports and major venues.

The city framed the pilot as part of a broader sustainability and resilience strategy to reduce dependence on imported supply and to create local water sources for neighborhoods and infrastructure.