SoFi Stadium water sustainability initiative

Article posted by Coliseum, November 13^th, 2020

Image: HKS

The West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) recently announced its first delivery of recycled water to SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, home of the National Football League (NFL) teams Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, in the City of Inglewood, California (US).

West Basin will produce and distribute recycled water for landscape irrigation, maintenance and aesthetic purposes at the landmark sports and entertainment destination, including Lake Park and the lush foliage encircling the amazing arena. Combined with several recycled water connections nearby, the West Basin project will provide 26 million gallons of recycled water per year, saving an equal amount of drinking water for the region.

The West Basin Municipal Water District is a wholesale water agency that provides imported drinking water to 17 cities and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County throughout its 185 square mile service area. Additionally, West Basin is researching ocean water desalination as a drought-proof supply of drinking water. Overall, West Basin maintains more than 450 recycled water system connections for municipal and industrial customers throughout its service area in Los Angeles County.

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SoFi Stadium is located at Hollywood Park, a 298-acre sports and entertainment destination in Inglewood, California. The 3.1 million square-feet SoFi Stadium is the largest stadium in the National Football League (NFL), as well as the first indoor-outdoor stadium. It seats approximately 70,000, expandable up to 100,000, with more than 260 luxury suites and more than 13,000 premium seats.

The West Basin Municipal Water District will produce and distribute recycled water for maintenance, irrigation and aesthetic purposes at the home of Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. Reclaimed or recycled water is the process of converting wastewater into water that can be reused for other purposes.

Combined with several adjoining recycled water connections, the West Basin project will provide 26 million gallons of recycled water per year, saving an equal amount of drinking water for the region. The water, delivered via 27 connection points, will be utilized for Lake Park.

West Basin, which maintains more than 450 recycled water system connections for municipal and industrial customers throughout Los Angeles County, maintained that the use of an environmental-friendly source of water was an important commitment on the part of the 300-acre sports and entertainment destination – SoFi Stadium.

“SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park is a great example of public-private partnership. Together, we are able to help reduce the use of our precious drinking water sources by investing in a recycled water system that is world class,” averred West Basin Board President Gloria Gray.

Lake Park, the central water feature at the SoFi Stadium development, makes up for an upper and lower lake bridged by cascading waterfalls with a total volume of approximately 16 million gallons.

The nearly six acres of lake will use circa 35 acre-feet of recycled water per year, the equivalent of 11.4 million gallons each year. One acre-foot of water is equal to about 326,000 gallons, which is enough water to cover an acre of land, about the size of SoFi Stadium’s football field, one foot deep.

Other parts of the property making use of recycled water include greenery along the street medians and parking spots and landscaped areas surrounding the stadium.

Jason Gannon, Managing Director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, remarked, “Onsite recycled water is vital for sustainable water usage at SoFi Stadium. The lakes on the property will serve as an irrigation reservoir for the more than 20 acres of public parks and open space surrounding Lake Park, with additional sustainability achieved by blending storm water and runoff that is captured and cleaned through the wetlands.”

Apart from SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, West Basin will produce recycled water for areas outside of the stadium’s footprint. This includes the existing customer Hollywood Park Casino, and the Inglewood Transit Center, with the potential for additional recycled water supplies going to future retail development.

Informed Patrick Sheilds, General Manager, West Basin Municipal Water District, “West Basin recently achieved a significant milestone of 225 billion gallons of recycled water produced since 1995, saving enough drinking water for more than 8 million people for an entire year. We are very pleased to add such a valuable project with considerable public visibility to our recycled water portfolio.”

West Basin provides imported drinking water, recycled water, as well as conservation and education programs. Through its ‘Water for Tomorrow’ program, West Basin is committed to protecting, diversifying, and securing water supply for the future while continuing a history of innovation and industry leadership.

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