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.