Water: Orange County Toasts Domestics over Imports wise, a growing demand on Colorado River water from Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico has put Southern California water districts in a position to find new sources of water… or to make better use of the water they have. “With cutbacks on our water supplies, developing new, reliable sources of water is imperative,” explains Shivaji Deshmukh, program manager for the Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System. Seeking to be more self-sufficient, Orange County this year launched the world’s largest advanced water purification project of its kind — proving that in today’s world, finding ways to reclaim the water we use is a far more progressive technology than simply developing new ways to move or store it. “Toilet to Tap” Developed by the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District, the Groundwater Replenishment System takes highly treated sewer water and puts it through a threestep process that includes micofiltration, reverse osmosis and exposure to ultraviolet light with hydrogen peroxide.
The microfiltration process filters protozoa, bacteria, viruses and other particles out of the water.
Entrance to the Groundwater Replenishment System where sewer water is put through a three-step treatment process.
Jim Kutzle/Orange County Water District
» One of the telltale signs of a progressive society is the ability to harness water and transport it to the places where people need it most. The city of Alexandria in ancient Egypt, for instance, was built on an intricate system of underground canals and cisterns that made the waters of the Nile accessible to distant neighborhoods. Southern California was built on the same concept. Like Alexandria, the transport of water from Northern California and the Colorado River led to rapid growth in this semi-arid region. The State Water Project, a system of more than 700 miles of aqueducts and 25 reservoirs, enabled communities to stretch far beyond their centralized water sources. Today, nearly 24 million people in Southern California depend on imported water to irrigate their lawns, wash their cars, fill their swimming pools and serve a population that continues to make up one of the most rapidly growing regions of the nation. We continue to grow, but our water sources are diminishing. Conflict at the San Joaquin River Delta over deteriorating levees and the endangered smelt has jeopardized imports from there. Like-
Steve Crise and the American Water Works Association (AWWA)
By Orange County Coastkeeper/Inland Empire Waterkeeper
www.waterkeeper.org
Summer 2008 Waterkeeper Magazine
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