The nonprofit WateReuse Association has named the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) the WateReuse Institution of the Year for 2010. The award recognizes institutions whose significance and contributions to the community continue to advance the water-reuse industry.
The award was presented at the 25th Annual WateReuse Symposium in Washington, D.C. to WRD for taking major steps to eliminate imported water for groundwater replenishment in south Los Angeles County.
WRD manages two of the most heavily used groundwater basins in the state. Groundwater from these basins provides 40 percent of the overall water supply to the 4 million residents in 43 cities in WRD’s service area.
More than ten percent of the state’s population relies on WRD to replenish the groundwater basins. As a result, the District has developed water-reuse projects that simultaneously meet regional needs while contributing to long-term statewide solutions. Programs like WRD’s Water Independence Now (WIN) help ensure that the region has a reliable source of local water supply as the future of imported water becomes less certain.
The WIN program is a nationally recognized model of local water supply development that includes the Leo J. Vander Lans Advanced Water Treatment Plant in Long Beach, California and the Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program (GRIP).
These efforts replace imported water with purified wastewater for the protection and replenishment of the groundwater basins. “This is a great honor for WRD to receive the WateReuse Institution of the Year. This award symbolizes the recognition from our colleagues as it recognizes our commitment to securing our region’s water sources by using innovative water-reuse projects,” said WRD Board President Sergio Calderon.
“This award is further evidence of WRD’s leadership in developing a local, reliable and sustainable water supply that includes smart water recycling projects,” said WRD General Manager Robb Whitaker. “Our projects will have permanent benefits that greatly contribute to solving California’s water crisis.”
