Funding gets water to 200,000 Orange County families
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) --The United States Senate is one step away from passing its 2001 budget, which includes $2 million for Orange County's proposed Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System. The House of Representatives has already approved $2 million for the project. Therefore, the project will not be subject to the House and Senate conference committee action and has a high probability of being a part of the 2001 Federal Budget, for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2000.
"I am pleased that my colleagues in the Senate recognize the importance of the Groundwater Replenishment System and the positive impact this system could have on the Orange County water supply,'' said Representative Loretta Sanchez July 21.
The GWR System is a joint project of the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District. It will provide Orange County with a new source of purified water to serve up to 200,000 families each year. The System will take highly treated wastewater from the Orange County Sanitation District, currently sent to the ocean, and purify it to near-distilled water quality through 100% reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ultraviolet disinfection technologies. The water will then be injected into an underground seawater intrusion barrier and also percolated into the county's groundwater basin by the Orange County Water District.
"Water is a critical component of our quality of life, especially in Southern California. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will pass all year for Orange County,'' said Irv Pickler, chairman of the Groundwater Replenishment System Joint Committee.
The GWR System will be located on the joint water campus of the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley. The System will provide 100,000 acre-feet of new water for the county. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, or enough water for two small families for one year.
In the past, the GWR System project has received $37 million from the State Water Bond, $700,000 from the California Energy Commission and has been appropriated $500,000 from the EPA and $1.5 million from the Bureau of Reclamation pending the environmental record of decision on the project.
For more information on the Groundwater Replenishment System, visit http://www.gwrsystem.com.
