East County recycled water treatment facility set to go online in 2026 NBC 7 San Diego [Video]

Work has been underway on a recycled water treatment project in Santee for about two years. In another two years, some East County residents will get their drinking water from the East County Advanced Water Purification program.

It’s a massive billion-dollar recycled water treatment plant north of Santee Lakes that, at its peak, has 250 construction workers working on it.

Kyle Swanson, the CEO and general manager at the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, says the project will meet about 30% of drinking water demands in East County alone. Right now, most East County residents get their water from Northern California and the Colorado River, according to Swanson.

“This is a needed project that would be an answer to the drought that regularly plagues San Diego County,” Swanson said.

When the project goes online by winter 2026, some customers in Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Helix, Lakeside and Otay water districts will receive some of the water that passes through here.

Swanson explains …