FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 5, 2002 -- In November, California voters approved Proposition 50, which will reduce water pollution, protect drinking water quality, clean up beach pollution and ensure a stable, reliable, secure water supply for California.
"I'm proud that Californians are looking out for both the future of our water supplies and environment," said Jerry A. King, OCWD board president. "Proposition 50 provides opportunities to assist Orange County Water District in many areas and we will be trying to bring our fair share of funding to Orange County."
Proposition 50 provides $1.08 billion in funding to California water agencies. Because of Orange County Water District's wide-ranging work in water research, monitoring, treatment and production, OCWD has the opportunity to apply for grant funding in many areas of the Proposition 50 water bond.
Funding is available for facility security upgrades, water purification membranes research, land purchases for natural wetlands treatment facilities to improve Santa Ana River water quality, updating regional water management plans to better use Orange County's groundwater basin and development of new sources of water, including water reclamation and desalination projects.
The Orange County Water District is a special water agency created by the California Legislature in 1933 to maintain and manage the huge groundwater basin under northern Orange County.
The groundwater basin managed by OCWD supplies 75% of the water needs to more than 2 million 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. For more information, log-on to www.ocwd.com.
