New Sustainable Water Infrastructure Options

Consumers in 21 cities rely on the Orange County Water District (OCWD) groundwater basin to provide 77% of their water demands. Historically, the main source of water for basin replenishment has been the Santa Ana River, but water flows fluctuate from year to year due to weather patterns and water conservation programs at upstream locations. Orange County Water Projects work to improve Orange County’s groundwater quality and reliability.

These projects include the construction of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Final Expansion project. The GWRS provides the region with water it can count on instead of importing water from distant watersheds.
The project is expected to be complete in 2023 and takes highly-treated wastewater that would have previously been discharged into the Pacific Ocean and purifies it using a three-step advanced treatment process, resulting in high-quality water that meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards. Upon completion, the world’s largest water reuse project of its kind will produce 130 MGD of advanced purified recycled water.
Orange County Water Blogs
$15.4M Awarded to Western Water Projects to Mitigate Drought Impacts
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is awarding $15.4 million to water projects in the West to assist with preparing for, and responding to, drought. The funding, awarded through [...]
OC Water District Awarded $3.6M to Increase Drinking Water Supply
The Orange County Water District (OCWD) has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management grant program for use [...]
Not a Threat to CA’s Municipal Water Supply
COVID-19: Not a Threat to CA’s Municipal Water Supply The COVID-19 health emergency has prompted panic buying of bottled water that has emptied store shelves and sown confusion [...]