President's Message
OCWD President Claudia C. Alvarez
Recently the Orange County Water District (OCWD; District) Board of Directors dedicated
a new percolation basin that will increase north and central Orange County's
groundwater supply and reliability. Located on Miraloma Avenue in Anaheim, between
Kraemer Boulevard and Miller Street, this new basin will allow the District to percolate
up to an additional 6,000 acre-feet of water, which is enough for nearly 50,000
people.
The 13-acre site was purchased by the District and transformed into a recharge facility
that is approximately 10 feet deep. It is currently devoted to water from the Groundwater
Replenishment System (GWRS), the world's largest advanced wastewater purification
system for indirect potable reuse, located in Fountain Valley. Although only recently
put into service, the Basin is yielding the highest measured percolation rates among
OCWD's 21 basins due to favorable geology and ultra-pure GWRS water.
OCWD will continue to expand and develop its recharge system to address future water
challenges, to support its mission and to provide local water retailers with a reliable,
adequate, high-quality water supply at the lowest reasonable cost and in an environmentally
responsible manner.
Click
here
to view video of the Miraloma Dedication.
The 2012 Groundwater Adventure Tour
Nearly 140 guests attended the 2012 Groundwater Adventure Tour (Tour) that took
place Thursday, October 18th. The annual event highlighted Orange County
Water District operations including the Groundwater Replenishment System, the Advanced
Water Quality Assurance Laboratory, Field Headquarters (Recharge Operations) and
Prado Wetlands. The day's activities were designed to provide an inside look
at Orange County's water supply, as well as a better understanding of the District's
groundwater recharge operations.
Tour attendees included staff from cities, elected officials' offices, water
districts, universities, state and county agencies, students, chambers of commerce,
service club members, and other stakeholders. Information was presented to attendees
in a variety of formats including presentations, tours, video and Q&A. OCWD directors,
executive management and public affairs staff shared their knowledge and facilitated
activities throughout the day.
The Groundwater Adventure Tour will be hosted again next fall. Stay tuned for more
details.
Public Agencies Working Together
The Orange County Water District and the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD)
have developed a project which will involve modifications to Fletcher Basin, a flood
control facility owned by the OCFCD in the city of Orange to increase its flood
control capacity while also allowing OCWD to utilize it as a recharge basin.
The 4.8-acre project site, located near Fletcher Avenue and Batavia Street, was
formerly used to retard stormwater flow prior to discharge into the Santa Ana River.
Modifications will be implemented to convert this basin into a joint water conservation
and flood control facility. These modifications include excavation and disposal
of existing soils, backfilling the basin with clean sand, and construction of a
water supply pipeline and sump pump.
OCWD's Board of Directors recently approved this project, designed by Black
& Veatch, which will help increase groundwater supply. A notice inviting construction
bids will be issued by the end of the year. Construction activities will begin in
early 2013 and the District will provide ample notice to impacted residents and
businesses before construction begins.
November Employee of the Month
The OCWD employee of the month program was established to recognize outstanding
District employees and to acknowledge their contributions to OCWD. The program recognizes
employees for high quality work, promoting team work, cost saving ideas and a high
level of dedication to their work. The District recognizes that OCWD employees are
the source of its strength, reputation and innovation.
Congratulations Noe Valdez, field maintenance technician II for the department of
hydrogeology, who was recognized by OCWD as the November employee of the month.
He has worked for the District since 2003.
Great job Noe!
Thank You for Touring the Groundwater Replenishment System
LADWP executives tour the GWRS
OCWD would like to thank visitors for their time and interest in learning about
the GWRS. In October 2012, 20 tours were hosted for 420 guests. The following is
a list of those tours: the monthly public tour; a representative from the New Delhi,
India Center for Science & Environment and a retiree from Cal EPA; health science
students from California State University, Fullerton; a delegation from Vietnam,
including officials from the Saigon Water Corp; Da Nang Water Co.; Binh Duong Water
Supply, Sewerage and Environment Co.; municipal officials from Hanoi, Hai Phong
and Long Anh; and members
of the Vietnam Water Supply & Sewerage Assoc.; staff from The Orange County
Environmental Health Department; San Diego Councilman David Alvarez and Travis Knowles,
Chief of Staff; hydrology students from California State University, Long Beach;
representatives from the Korean Institute of Health and Environment; the California
State University, Fullerton Chapter of the Society of Environmental Engineers; students
from Saddleback College; two members from the Iraq Science Fellowship Program; civil
engineering students from Cal Poly Pomona; members of the California State License
Board Associated General Contractors of America; a delegation from China's Environmental
Protection Agency; representatives with the Korea-Kang Seo Water District; Fullerton
College students; representatives from the Korean Rural Community Corporation; and
Costa Mesa High School students who are part of Orange County Coastkeepers'
WHALES Program.
CONTACT US
www.ocwd.com
18700 Ward Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 378-3200
info@ocwd.com
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