What Is Operation NEXT?
Operation NEXT is a new water supply initiative being developed by LADWP in partnership with LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN)’s Hyperion 2035 Program that aims to increase the overall water supply resiliency and reliability for Los Angeles. Through Hyperion 2035, LASAN plans to retrofit and modernize the existing secondary treatment process at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant to include membrane bioreactor technology. Secondary effluent from Hyperion will then undergo more treatment at the Advanced Water Purification Facility as part of the Operation NEXT Program. Learn more
The Operation NEXT Program will further treat and convey the purified recycled to replenish the city’s groundwater basins via an Indirect Potable Reuse strategy. Additionally, new regulations have recently been released that allow for further treatment of this new source to integrate the purified recycled water with the drinking water system. The process, known as Direct Potable Reuse, would further expand the use of purified recycled water from Hyperion as a new supplemental water source.
Program Goals
Conveyance and Storage: Working with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) and the Upper Los Angeles River Area Watermaster, LADWP will determine optimal locations to convey purified recycled water from Hyperion into the underlying aquifers within the West Coast, Central, and San Fernando Groundwater Basins.
LADWP is also working with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) to potentially convey purified recycled water to MWD’s Regional Recycled Water Program Backbone System and the Jensen Water Filtration Plant. These connections would add operational flexibility and create a truly regional recycled water system.
Project Timeline
The proposed schedule reflects a conceptual level estimate and is subject to change based on resources and funding limitations. Operation NEXT is currently in the Conceptual Planning Phase.
*PEIR: Preliminary Environmental Information Report
*MWD: Metropolitan Water District
*PWSC: Pure Water Southern California Program
Ongoing Efforts
- LADWP is developing an “Operation NEXT Master Plan” scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
- LADWP and LASAN are preparing a Programmatic EIR for Operation NEXT, including Hyperion 2035, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
- LADWP and WRD completed the “Joint Los Angeles Basin Replenishment and Extraction Master Plan” to evaluate the best groundwater locations for injecting and extracting Hyperion purified recycled water. The findings from this study will feed into the development of the Operation NEXT Master Plan efforts currently underway.
- LADWP, LASAN, and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) are collaborating on the Hyperion Advanced Water Purification Facility, a 1.5 MGD project that will provide advanced-treated recycled water to nearby Los Angeles International Airport for heating, cooling, and toilet flushing as well as for other onsite non-potable reuse applications at Hyperion.
- LADWP is working with LASAN and West Basin Municipal Water District on a 1 MGD Hyperion Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Pilot Facility. This project will compare three MBR systems side-by-side and provide data for regulatory approval. This project is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Environmental Review
Please visit the Operation NEXT CEQA website for documents and updates related to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance.
Community Outreach
LADWP is engaged in development of a robust stakeholder communication and outreach plan. Since early 2019, LADWP has worked with partner agencies, community groups, elected officials, environmental leaders, Neighborhood Councils, and other stakeholders on creating a high level of collaboration and cooperation for Operation NEXT. Two key outreach components include the development of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Report and the development of the Operation NEXT Master Plan.
Environmental related outreach has been ongoing since early 2021 and will continue throughout the Program. The Operation NEXT Master Plan development started in 2021 and is estimated for completion by the end of 2024, with support and feedback from community stakeholders and technical advisors.
