President's Message – Responsible Stewardship & Environmental Enhancement
Environmental stewardship in the water industry is an ongoing balance of the complex
needs of humans, plants and animals. There will always be environmental challenges
that compete for north and central Orange County's precious water. It's
fascinating to learn how an ecosystem can include the positive involvement of man
to benefit all.
The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) is a leader in water and natural
resource management, carrying out award-winning environmental programs while providing
water supply benefits.
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Henry T. Segerstrom
1923 - 2015
Paying Tribute to Former Director Henry Segerstrom
The Orange County Water District mourns the loss of former OCWD Director Henry T.
Segerstrom who served for nearly 30 years on the District's board and helped
bring water reliability to the region. Segerstrom began his service on the board
in 1957 and resigned in 1984. He served as its president from 1967 through 1983
and as its first vice president from 1962 through 1967.
During his tenure as a board member, the District celebrated many important achievements
including the building and operation of the internationally acclaimed Water Factory
21 (WF 21).
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OCWD Sound Financial Credit Rating
Underscoring the Orange County Water District's (OCWD; the District) commitment
to sound financial management, Fitch Ratings recently affirmed its 'AAA'
rating. The District's financial performance was cited as being "exemplary,
marked by strong financial policies, limited fixed expenditures, and a history of
increasing rates in line with operating and capital costs." Since 2008, OCWD
has maintained the 'AAA' rating assigned by Fitch, which benefits the District
and local water rate payers by allowing it to borrow money more easily and at lower
interest rates. This results in a cost savings for the 19 water retailers served
by the District and their more than 2.4 million customers. Read More...
Sign Up for Liquid Motion - the 2015 OC Water Summit
Registration is now open for the 8th annual OC Water Summit, which will take place
on Friday, May 15, 2015 at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort.
This year's program, titled Liquid Motion, sets imagination, innovation and
investment into motion to keep water flowing. Read More...
State Department of Water Resources TAPs into OCWD
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently selected OCWD's
Chief of Hydrogeology Roy Herndon to serve on the state's Technical Advisory
Panel (TAP) for the implementation of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management
Program.
Read More...
JPL Scientists Presented at March WACO
As a cofounding member of the Water Advisory Committee of Orange County, OCWD was
honored to host two distinguished speakers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
at the March WACO meeting.
Read More...
IDA Conference Set for 2015
The International Desalination Association (IDA) will host its 2015 World Congress
on Desalination and Water Reuse in San Diego from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4.
Read More...
Out in the Community
As part of its standard to forge and maintain long-term, positive and proactive
relationships with members of the community and be transparent about its operations
and programs, OCWD board members and staff participate, regularly, at community
events and speak before civic groups. Below are a few we participated in during
February.
- Director Philip Anthony joined Ken Vecchiarelli, P.E., General Manager, Orange
County District, Golden State Water Company to provide a water supply briefing to
the Kiwanis Club of Cypress
- Recharge Planning Manager Adam Hutchinson participated in a panel focusing on
groundwater management at the 53rd Annual California Irrigation Institute Conference.
OCWD in the News
- OC Register Reporter Aaron Orlowski interviewed GWRS Program Manager Mehul Patel
and President Cathy Green about the GWRS Initial Expansion. Here is a link to the
full article:
Recycled Water Levels Will Rise
- Cinco Dias, a Spanish business and finance newspaper, published an article about
water purification technology and referenced water reuse projects throughout the
world. The article contains a few paragraphs about the GWRS and Mehul Patel is quoted.
Here is a link to the full story:
Del Retrete al Vaso.
- OCWD and its Recharge Planning Manager Adam Hutchinson were recently featured
on California Groundwater Act's blog. The post was titled "80 Years of
Successful Groundwater Management in Orange County" and profiled OCWD and its
accomplishments. Here is a link to the blog:
GAB – Groundwater Act Blog.
- Bill Dunivin was interviewed about the GWRS by a writer from Treatment Plant Operator.
A resulting article was published titled "A California Water District Succeeds
with Indirect Reuse of Recycled Wastewater." Here is a link to the article:
A California Water District Succeeds with Indirect Reuse of Recycled Wastewater.
- An opinion article authored by General Manager Mike Markus and titled "Protecting
OC's Water" ran in the Orange County Register. Here is a link to the opinion
piece:
Protecting O.C.'s Water.
OCWD Employees
New Employees & Promotions for February 2015
OCWD's employees are its most valuable resources. It is committed to recruiting
the best and enriching their lives to grow within the industry and the District
family. OCWD welcomes new employee Dan Sullivan, Environmental Health & Safety Specialist
and congratulates Quan Kha, who was recently promoted from Lab Technician to Chemist
within the Organic Section of the Advanced Water Quality Assurance Laboratory. Congratulations
to you both.
February Tours
Thank you to the nearly 250 guests that toured OCWD's facilities in February:
Students from Edison High School, West Coast University Nursing Program, Godinez
High School, San Bernardino Valley College, UCI American Academy of Environmental
Engineers and Scientists (AAEES), and University of Southern California Sustainability
class; members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Becomers Bible
Study and Association of California Cities—O.C. (ACC-OC); Assemblymember Matt Harper;
and other members of the public.
Public tours of the Groundwater Replenishment System are offered at
10 a.m. on the first Friday of every month; reservations are required. Tours may be scheduled for other days of the week, depending on staff availability. To schedule a tour or to request more information, please contact Becky Mudd at (714) 378-3362 or
bmudd@ocwd.com. To schedule a speaker, please contact Rose Wilke at (714) 378-3206 or
rwilke@ocwd.com. You may also visit
www.ocwd.com to schedule these activities online.
CONTACT US
www.ocwd.com
18700 Ward Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 378-3200
info@ocwd.com
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