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GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT SYSTEM WINS THE 2005 GOVERNOR'S ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP AWARD
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – The Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, the largest water purification project of its kind and joint project of Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), received the 2005 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in the category of Ecosystem and Watershed Management.
The award was presented to Denis Bilodeau, OCWD board member, Jose Solorio, OCWD board member, Virginia Grebbien, OCWD general manager, Michael Duvall, OCSD board member, James Ferryman, OCSD board member, Carolyn Cavecche, OCSD board member and Robert Ghirelli, acting OCSD general manager, at a formal recognition ceremony held at the California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters in Sacramento on November 22.
The award is the state of California’s highest environmental honor and the Ecosystem and Watershed Stewardship category recognizes innovative and sustainable approaches to land and water management that restore or protect natural conditions, functions and processes and provide economic social and environmental benefits.
A committee selected the GWR System as the most deserving from a competitive pool of applications received from residents, businesses, non-profit organizations, professional and trade associations, communities, state and local governmental agencies and federal agencies operating in California.
“To be singled out as a leader in watershed management in California, a state known for its innovative watershed conservation initiatives, validates the efforts of everyone involved in planning and building the GWR System,” said Phil Anthony, board president for OCWD. “While the GWR System will be a much needed new source of water for Orange County, we’re extremely proud of the GWR System’s additional environmental and economic benefits.”
The GWR System takes highly treated sewer water that is currently released into the ocean and purifies it using the same technologies that purify baby food, fruit juices, medicines and bottled water. The GWR System will create a new supply of very clean water, totaling 70 million gallons per day. The new water will be used to expand the already existing seawater intrusion barrier along the coast and to augment groundwater supplies for north and central Orange County. The GWR System will also help reduce the demand on San Francisco-San Joaquin Delta Watershed, and reduce the amount of treated wastewater released to the ocean locally.
“Receiving the Governor’s award is further proof that projects like the GWR System are the future of water purification technology,” said Steve Anderson, board chair for OCSD. “Almost since its inception 12 years ago, the project has served as a beacon for thoughtful and responsible public agency cooperation and resource management. The project has attracted visitors from arid regions all over the world.”
More information on the Groundwater Replenishment System is available at our home page
Orange County Water District (OCWD) manages the large groundwater basin that underlies North-Central Orange County that provides most of the water for 2.3 million citizens. OCWD is committed to constantly improving Orange County’s groundwater quality and reliability in an environmentally friendly manner. With years of prudent planning and careful investment, OCWD has doubled the yield of the groundwater basin. Recently, the basin, larger that the largest reservoir in Southern California, sustained the County through a five-year drought. OCWD has also spent millions of dollar on studies by outside experts to ensure the quality of our groundwater. We want to be your trusted source for water quality. We will continue to plan and invest in ways to get more water into and out of the basin. OCWD is a special district, separate from the County of Orange, that supplies to residents in the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.
The Orange County Sanitation District is responsible for safely collecting, treating, and disposing wastewater. It is a special district, separate from the County of Orange or any city government, established under the State Health and Safety Code, to provide sewerage service to a specific geographic area. The Orange County Sanitation District is governed by a 25-member board of directors comprised of representatives of each local sewering agency or cities within our 470-square-mile service area. For more information, visit the Web site at www.ocsd.com.
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