HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 - Groundwater Replenishment SystemE
Agenda Item No. 3
August 23,1999
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CI'CY CLERK
MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: LaVonne M. Harkless, City Clerk
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE GROUNDWATER
REPLENISHMENT SYSTEM
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt Resolution No. 99 -_ supporting the Groundwater Replenishment System, a joint
effort of the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District.
BACKGROUND
At the meeting of August 9,1999, Mr. William R Mills, General Manager, Orange County Water
District, made a presentation to the City Council on the proposed Groundwater Replenishment
System. Subsequent to his presentation, Council Member Debay requested that staff prepare a
resolution in support of this proposed system for Council consideration on August 23,1999.
Two Orange County agencies - the Orange County Water District and the Orange County
Sanitation District - are considering building a pipeline and treatment facilities for a proposed
Groundwater Replenishment system if the concept is publicly supported and receives approval
from a variety of federal, state and local agencies. Currently, the two agencies have committed
to studying the concept as one possible solution to Orange County's water -demand challenge.
The Groundwater Replenishment System under consideration would create a new, safe and
reliable water supply to meet increased demands for high -quality water. Treated wastewater
from the Orange County Sanitation District currently discharged into the ocean would undergo
advanced water treatment that would include microfiltration, reverse osmosis and disinfection.
The purified water would be of exceptional quality and would exceed all state and federal
drinking water standards. The project will provide reliable, local water supply for
groundwater replenishment, groundwater protection from seawater intrusion, landscape
irrigation and industrial areas; reduce ocean discharges; decrease reliance on expensive and
undependable water purchases; and help drought -proof Orange County.
Attachment - Draft Resolution
�G e' 1 • AX&61 �
LaVonne IA. Harkless, City Clerk
RESOLUTION NO. 99-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING THE
GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT SYSTEM, A JOINT
EFFORT OF THE ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT AND
THE ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
WHEREAS, within the next 20 years, Orange County will have a water shortage
of 150,000 acre -feet, the amount of water needed for 300,000 families; and
WHEREAS, the northern portion of the county obtains 75 percent of its drinking
water from the county's vast groundwater basin, and the other 25 percent from imported sources,
such as the Colorado River and northern California; and
WHEREAS, current and future water policy threaten to limit the availability of
future imported water; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Water District (OCWD) and the Orange County
Sanitation District (OCSD) have found a cost - effective solution to predicted future water
shortages and are sponsoring a proposed supplemental water purification project, known as the
Groundwater Replenishment System, that could each year provide up to 200,000 north - central
Orange County families with a new source of safe, reliable, high quality water; and
WHEREAS, the Groundwater Replenishment System would take highly treated
wastewater from the Orange County Sanitation District that is currently sent to the ocean, purify
it to near distilled water quality through 100 percent reverse osmosis, microfrltration and
ultraviolet disinfection technologies, and then use it for a seawater intrusion barrier and to
percolate it through the ground into the Orange County groundwater basin; and
WHEREAS, Groundwater Replenishment System water would be of such high -
quality that it will improve the quality of the County's overall drinking water supply by reducing
the salinity of aquifers; and
WHEREAS, to produce water from the Groundwater Replenishment System, it
will take one -half the energy currently required to bring imported water to Orange County,
making it much more environmentally friendly and energy efficient; and
WHEREAS, Groundwater Replenishment System water can be used for multiple
purposes including household, landscaping, industrial and for prevention of sea water intrusion;
and
WHEREAS, Groundwater Replenishment System water will be available
regardless of rainfall levels or drought conditions; and
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WHEREAS, The Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation
District are recognized as innovative leaders in water reuse.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Newport Beach does hereby support the Groundwater Replenishment System and the efforts of
the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District to identify and develop
alternative sources for safe, reliable water supplies for Orange County.
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
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DATED this 23rd day of August 1999.
MAYOR