President's Message – Meeting the Conservation Mark
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, California is in an exceptional drought: "Exceptional or widespread crop/pasture
loss; a shortage of water in reservoirs and streams creating a water emergency." This is the definition of "exceptional
drought" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
A wet winter is anticipated because of forecasts of an El Niño, which is an above normal surface temperature in the southeast
Pacific. El Niño refers to the Christ child because it often occurs at Christmas or midwinter. Forecasts* through October
show that the drought will not only persist, it will intensify. Despite a wet winter, there will not be enough rain to
make up for the four years of drought California has sustained.
Even without a drought, California has an ever-increasing demand for water due to growth in population, agriculture and
industry.
Read More...
August is National Water Quality Month
Water sustains life. We in central and north Orange County are fortunate to have it readily available when we turn on our
faucet and we don't usually give it a second thought. August is National Water Quality Month and the Orange County
Water District (OCWD; the District) would like everyone to think about drinking water. Ask yourself, "What is my household
and community doing to protect our freshwater?"
Pollution from one household might not be enough to close a beach or close down a groundwater well, but multiply that by
the 2.4 million consumers in the Orange County Water District and the farms and industries within it and it can become a
serious problem. Thanks to stringent monitoring and testing, Orange County's drinking water is safe, but the region's
water quality faces real threats.
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New Geologic Cross Sections of Talbert Seawater Barrier Prepared
OCWD staff recently prepared two geologic cross sections that take present day information and adjust it with historic evidence
for an even more accurate picture of where injected water is going to ensure proper protection of the basin from seawater
intrusion.
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A geotechnical engineer prepares laboratory samples and documents the findings of borings in
Centennial Park.
Protecting the Basin in High-Pumping Area
OCWD staff recently held the Mid-Basin Injection (MBI) Centennial Park kick-off meeting for the design phase. The consultant,
Tetra Tech, performed geotechnical and survey work in August. The design is expected to be complete during the late summer
of 2016, at which time project financing will be sought. Operation of the four new injection wells is expected by the end
of 2019.
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Black & Veatch Celebrates 100th Anniversary
Festivities at Black & Veatch headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, mark the company’s 100-year anniversary.
Black & Veatch, a global infrastructure provider that has worked with the Orange County Water District on several key components
in Orange County’s groundwater management, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Founded in 1915 by Ernest Bateman Black
and Nathan Thomas Veatch with 12 employees, the company has grown to more than 10,000 professionals and provides energy,
water and telecommunications solutions in more than 100 countries.
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August 2015 Legislative Update
The Orange County Water District (District) works to influence legislation and funding in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.,
to ensure Orange County's groundwater basin is protected and supports a reliable, affordable, and safe water supply
for
the 2.4 million people that it serves.
Maintaining an active presence in the government arena is a vital part of what the District does to forge and maintain long-term,
positive and proactive relationships with legislative offices, support water supplies from the State Water Project and Colorado
River, to expand water reuse, enable the development of new water supplies, expand the use of new technologies, and to promote
water conservation. Below is a summary of some of the key legislation impacting Orange County’s water supplies and OCWD's
positions on them.
Federal—
- H.R 2822 Appropriations Bill: Funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF): Position:
Support
full funding at the President's 2016 level. The SRF provides low-interest loans and is integral to the development of
large
projects (including recycled water projects) in California.
- H.R. 2898: the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 (Congressman Valadao).
Position: Support with recommendations. H.R. 2898 provides support for water storage facilities, among
many other provisions.
OCWD requests additional support of desalination and water recycling projects and flexibility to capture water at federal
dams during storm events, for example, at Prado Dam.
-
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. We participated in the following during July:
- Directors Philip Anthony and Cathy Green and OCWD Exec. Dir. of Engineering, Planning and Local Resources John Kennedy
attended the city of Garden Grove City Council meeting and gave updates on the District's work regarding the Poseidon
Huntington
Beach desalination project.
- District staff met with representatives of the city of Santa Ana and Irvine Ranch Water District to discuss potential
"early action" remedial options for the South Basin groundwater contamination. Staff indicated that it is considering
the
potential need to implement a pilot-scale test facility to evaluate water treatment technologies in support of the District's
ongoing remedial investigation/feasibility study.
- Chief Hydrogeologist Roy Herndon participated in a meeting to advise the State Department of Water Resources on implementation
of aspects of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Specific issues discussed included the draft basin boundary regulations,
water availability for groundwater replenishment, and intra-basin coordination agreements, among other topics.
-
OCWD in the News
OCWD continues to be recognized for its leadership in the water industry. Below are a few of the recent media highlights:
OCWD Employees
OCWD's employees are its most valuable resources. It is committed to recruiting the best and enriching their lives to
grow
within the water industry and the District family.
New Hires
Christian Castro
Laboratory Intern
Laboratory Department
Leo Chen
Laboratory Intern
Laboratory Department
Elder Turcios
Laboratory Intern
Laboratory Department
Bryan Vazquez
Laboratory Intern
Laboratory Department
July Tours
Thank you to the nearly 300 guests that toured OCWD's facilities in July:
West Coast University Nursing Students
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and his staff; AP Reporter Justin Pritchard; Nursing students from California State University,
Fullerton (CSUF), and West Coast University; students from CSUF's International Exchange Program, University of California,
Irvine Exchange Program, Godinez High School Summer Program, and health sciences students from CSUF; delegates from Brazil
and the Korean Water & Wastewater Association; a group from the Orange County Department of Education; representatives
from
Kimberly Clark, and from Outside the Lines, Inc.; attendees of the GLOBE Conference; staff from the Los Angeles Department
of Water and Power, Black & Veatch and MET; members of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the State Water Resources
Control
Board, an operations workshop for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET) management staff, the Brea
Congregational United Church of Christ and members of the general 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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