How the system works

The treatment technology

Reverse osmosis pushes water through a membrane that blocks a wide range of contaminants, including nitrate and salts. It is the most widely effective treatment method, but conventional systems require trained staff on site around the clock. The system developed at UCLA operates autonomously - without the need for a constant onsite operator.

Four things make that possible:

• A standardized process that automatically adjusts. The system returns part of the concentrate — the contaminants filtered out — to the feed water and treats it again. That lets it tune to variable salinity and contaminant levels for energy and water efficiency.
• Automated, small-batch treatment. The system treats well water to maintain the volume needed by the community in a storage tank. Unlike traditional RO, system operations don't require an operator constantly onsite, which is made possible using automated sensors, valves and pumps to provide water that meets safety standards.
• Onsite concentrate disposal. The concentrate carrying the removed contaminants goes to the property's existing septic system, where the tank's anoxic conditions convert nitrate to nitrogen gas, so none of it reaches the leach field. A General Waiver from the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board permits this up to 10,000 gallons per day. Other contaminants removed by the RO go into the concentrate, bypassing the house to rejoin the domestic wastewater at the septic tank, so there is no increased concentration of contaminants.
• Remote monitoring and control. Performance data is acquired every 2 to 3 seconds and sent to both a local system data storage and a remote supervisory server. The system self-adjusts to ensure the production of safe drinking water. When operator intervention is needed, the system alerts the operator via phone, text, and/or email.