An ambitious plan looks to combat California’s ongoing drought by recycling record amounts of water. If put into motion, the project, estimated to cost $1 billion, would be one of the biggest in the world.

at a committee meeting Monday, would allow for the purification and reuse of as much as 168,000 acre-feet of water each year, according to The Los Angeles Times. The program would then serve recycled water to nearly 336,000 homes.

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MWD told Los Angeles County officials that the plan would call for the construction of both a treatment plant and several water delivery facilities. With residents in coastal areas sending hundreds of billions of gallons of wastewater to the Pacific Ocean every year, a recycling program could be one answer to solving the state’s growing water crisis.

Lake Shasta, California's largest water reservoir feeding the Sacramento River, is at 46% capacity and at historically low levels impacting tourism and agriculture.

(George Rose )

“I'm not afraid of talking about another business model," MWD agency board chairman, Randy Record, said in the committee meeting. "None of us should be."

If approval is given for the program, MWD officials will begin work on a demonstration program that after 20 months could purify nearly one million gallons of water a day. The final proposed recycling plant would be capable of purifying 150 million at the same rate.

California is already home to several smaller water recycling plants,. 2015 marks the state’s of fighting a record drought

MORE ON WEATHER.COM:Photo Proof California Is In Deep Trouble

Aerial view overlooking landscaping on April 4, 2015, in Ramona, Calif. (Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)