The largest groundwater recharge plant in the world
With more than 28,000 individual reverse osmosis membranes, the Orange County Water District Ground Water Replenishment System shows how water reuse works at a massive scale.
The Orange County Water District (OCWD) Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) is the largest advanced water treatment plant in the world for groundwater recharge. Since it was commissioned, it has produced 445.8 billion gallons of water treated through microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection. That amounts to up to 130 million gallons per day; enough to meet the needs of 1 million people.
Mehul Patel, executive director of operations for the OCWD GWRS, took WaterWorld editors on a tour of the plant to share how it is bolstering Orange County's water supplies through water reuse.
Bob Crossen is the vice president of content strategy for the Water and Energy Groups of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B. EB2B publishes WaterWorld, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions in its water portfolio and publishes Oil & Gas Journal, Offshore Magazine, T&D World, EnergyTech and Microgrid Knowledge in its energy portfolio. Crossen graduated from Illinois State University in Dec. 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in German and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He worked for Campbell Publications, a weekly newspaper company in rural Illinois outside St. Louis for four years as a reporter and regional editor. Crossen can be reached at [email protected].
Alex Cossin is the associate editor for Waterworld Magazine, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions, which compose the Endeavor Business Media Water Group. Cossin graduated from Kent State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Cossin can be reached at [email protected].
Mandy Crispin is the editor-in-chief of WaterWorld magazine and co-host of water industry podcast Talking Under Water. She can be reached at [email protected].
