The Leo J. Vander Lans Advanced Water Treatment Facility in Long Beach, California, treats effluent water from the Long Beach Water Reclamation Plant and supplies highly purified water to the the Alamitos Barrier that was created to prevent seawater from encroaching into groundwater supplies in Los Angeles and Orange counties. At this facility, water is further treated through advanced microfiltration and reverse osmosis, resulting in a near-distilled quality. No other plant in the world uses this third-stage process.

The facility previously produced 3 million gallons of treated water per day. In November 2012, Flatiron began expanding the facility to allow production of 8 million gallons per day to reduce the area’s dependence on imported water. Work comprised of construction and installation of new water treatment systems including microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection with advance oxidation, dissolved air flotation, chemical systems, piping, pump stations, site work, structural, electrical, instrumentation, and all associated work.

The expansion improved the facility’s efficiency and reduced operations and maintenance costs. In addition, the facility has further reduced waste and raised overall recovery from 77 percent to 92 percent making the facility a leader in water efficiency.