SUSTAINABILITY
Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes is dedicated to business practices that minimize our impact on the environment, and saves energy while protecting the Recreation Preserve for generations to come. The following projects and best practices are a few of the initiatives currently in use at Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes: |
Solar Energy
Water Recycling
Waste Reduction
Aquatic Weed Management
Green Day at the Lakes
Urban Forestry
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Solar Energy
The 4 acre, 14,000 solar panel project, completed in December 2008, included the construction of solar arrays mounted to RV storage covers. Rather than utilizing a traditional ground-mounted solar system which requires a dedicated open space, RV covers were used which resulted in a dual benefit:
- No loss of valuable park/open space land;
- Additional revenue through the covered RV storage service.
Click here for news footage on the Santee Lakes Solar Project
Click here for more photos of the project |
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The system produces over 1 million kilowatt hours of clean energy every year...which is equal to 50% of the entire Park and Campground's power needs. The Santee Lakes Solar Project will have the following environmental benefits:
- A reduction of CO2 emissions by 1,485,519 lbs annually, or 44,565,564 lbs over the lifetime of the system.
- A reduction equivalent to removing the emissions from an average passenger car driven 2,813,972 miles every year for 30-years.
- A reduction equivalent to the CO2 that would be removed by planting 563 acres of trees.
- Reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions by 12,921 lbs. over the life of the system.
- A combined reduction of Nitrogen and Sulfur oxide emissions by 14,213.4 lbs. will also be achieved over the life of the system.
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Water Recycling
For 50 years Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes has been a model for communities around the world. All of the water used to fill the lakes and irrigate around them is recycled. Two million gallons of water each day is recycled at our Water Reclamation Facility 2 miles north of the Recreation Preserve. We sell about 50% for use at golf courses, city parks and schools. The remaining water flows through Santee Lakes and creates a recreation area that greets more than 650,000 visitors annually. |
In addition to the recreational benefit, our water recycling project diverts 2 million gallons of partially treated sewage from entering the Pacific Ocean every day. That’s 730 million gallons every year!! We treat the sewage to stringent “Title 22” standards. How clean is it? California's standards for recycled water are the benchmarks in the United States and the world, and they allow for full body contact, such as swimming or waterskiing, where accidental ingestion is assumed. You can learn more about how the Lakes were developed and the international attention they received in our About Us page.
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Waste Reduction
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Through our on-site waste recycling program we divert 10 tons of waste from entering our local landfill each year. Containers are located throughout the Preserve to encourage recycling. We also separate our green waste and divert 50 tons each year.
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Aquatic Weed Management
Lakes require a lot of maintenance. In addition to litter removal and landscape maintenance it’s extremely important to control algae and lake weed growth for the benefit of the fishery and for aesthetic purposes. The traditional means of controlling weed growth is through the use of aquatic herbicides (chemicals). We recognize the potential negative impact the introduction of chemicals could have on the environment. While the application of some herbicides is unavoidable, our Maintenance Staff has reduced the use of these chemicals by 72% over the past 4 years. They’ve accomplished this through the use of our new Harvester Boat which mechanically removes weeds. The benefits of using the Harvester include: |
- Reduction of the amount of decaying organics by removing them rather than spraying them and leaving them to die.
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Green Day at the Lakes |
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Green Day at the Lakes is our annual Earth Day Celebration. Approximately 100 local residents donate their time and skills to improve the Park. Lake debris removal, painting, trash pick up and trail improvements are just a few of the projects the participants work on. It’s a great day for friends of the Park to give back and help restore this wonderful community asset.
Click here for Green Day at the Lakes Photo Gallery
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Urban Forestry/Tree Replacement
Trees are like the lungs of the planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Additionally, they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. According to ColoradoTree.org, a mature tree can absorb roughly 48 pounds of CO2 a year. The tree in turn releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings. |
Over the past 4 years, we’ve planted 670 new trees in the Park, bringing our total number of trees to an amazing 1,850. Our trees remove 88,800 pounds of C02 every year making Santee a clean City to live and play in.
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We spend tens of thousands of dollars each year maintaining and pruning our trees to insure their health and longevity. Each tree in the Park is mapped using global positioning equipment and monitored regularly. We know the age, height, health and maintenance history on every tree in the Park.
Park Projects Map
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