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1. What is the Sterling Natural Resource Center?

The Sterling Natural Resource Center is a wastewater treatment facility that will be located in the City of Highland by East Valley Water District to treat wastewater generated within East Valley Water District’s service area. The new treatment facility would produce disinfected tertiary recycled water (Title 22 water quality for unrestricted use). The treated water would be discharged to replenish the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin. 

2. What is a reclamation facility?

Reclaimed water or recycled water, is wastewater (sewage) that is treated to remove solids and certain impurities, and used in many settings for sustainable landscaping irrigation or to recharge groundwater aquifers. The purpose of these processes is sustainability and water conservation, rather than discharging the treated water to surface waters such as rivers and oceans. The Sterling Natural Resource Center is a reclamation facility which will be used to replenish the local groundwater basin.

3. Why is it called the Sterling Natural Resource Center?

In an effort to select a name that represented the long history of the region and the resource the facility will be, the team looked to the past. The Sterling Natural Resource Center is named after A.E. Sterling, a local visionary and active valley leader.

In addition, one definition of sterling is: "of the highest quality."

4. Where will it be constructed?

The SNRC was constructed on a 20-acre parcel of land located at North Del Rosa Drive between East 5th Street and East 6th Street. The Treatment Facility is located on the eastern property while the Administration Center is located on the western parcel. The collection/conveyance pipelines would be constructed along the existing rights of way.

5. When will construction start?

Construction for the Sterling Natural Resource Center officially began on October 2018. The Administrative Center was completed in 2022. The Treatment Facility is scheduled to be operational in 2024. Currently, these structural concrete buildings have been completed:

• Aeration Basin
• Odor Control 
• Screening Building
• Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) Building
• Ultraviolet Disinfection Building
• Solids Building

Percentage of Completion

• Administrative Center and Operations Building are 100% complete
• Collection sewer line is 95% complete
• Regional Recycled water line is 75% complete

6. What will the facility look like?

The SNRC intends to be a community asset and a good neighbor. The SNRC facility would:

• Have offices to serve the wastewater treatment facility
• Integrate into the community through compatible land use and aesthetically pleasing design
• Incorporate an Administration Center that would include:
  • Publicly accessible open space and water features
  • Multipurpose spaces for emergency and community uses
  • Opportunities for the community and local students with an interpretive center

7. Will there be any odor coming from the facility?

The SNRC will use Membrane BioReactors, which is a process that combines filtration with biological treatment to reduce the amount of space needed to operate the facility. Therefore, allowing for the reclamation process to be completely self-contained. 

As part of the SNRC’s commitment to being a good neighbor, the project’s design includes extensive state-of-the-art vessel systems to help prevent unwanted odors. These systems will “scrub” the air so that there is no noticeable odor coming from the facility. Water produced by the SNRC will be cleaned and disinfected through multiple processes. Additionally, recycled water is clear and has no smell.

8. Will the Sterling Natural Resource Center accept drop-offs of food waste from my home?

The SNRC incorporated state-of-the-art digesters to turn 130,000 gallons per day of organic waste into 3 megawatts of renewable energy. East Valley Water District will import the material from local waste processors, due to the high concentration of material needed. At this time, there will be no acceptance of local drop-offs of household organic waste.