The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has recognized a Black & Veatch-designed project— the Orange County Water District Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Final Expansion — with a Project Excellence Award. WEF's annual Project Excellence Award pays tribute to excellence and innovation in the execution of projects and programs in the water sector.
The GWRS produces high-quality recycled water used to recharge the Orange County Groundwater Basin, which is the primary potable water supply for more than 2.5 million people in California. The final expansion project added 30 million gallons a day (mgd) to the system’s capacity, upping its total to 130 mgd, and for the first time, enabling 100 percent of the area’s reclaimable wastewater flows to be recycled.
“This groundwater replenishment project is a great example of reimaging infrastructure in order to create a resilient, sustainable water supply,” said James Clark, Senior Vice President at Black & Veatch and design project manager for both the initial expansion and final expansion. “The Orange County Water District was able to fortify the reliability of drinking water supply, reduce the region’s dependence on water imports and improve water quality.”
The expansion was dedicated in 2023 and culminated nearly 50 years of collaboration between the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District, aided from the beginning by Black & Veatch, to bring water sustainability and resilience to their customers.
Editor’s Note:
More information about this groundwater replenishment project can be found here.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.
About WEF
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of more than 30,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Established in 1928, WEF’s mission is to inspire the water community in pursuit of human and environmental well-being. WEF’s goals are to attract and develop a passionate workforce, cultivate a purpose-driven community to sustainably solve water challenges for all, and lead the transformation to the circular water economy.
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