Written on Water, A Modern Tale of a Dry West
When: March 8, 4:30 – 6:00 PM
Where: Student Union Memorial Center, Kiva Auditorium (1303 E. University Blvd)
Speaker: Merri Lisa Trigilio, Ph.D.
The WRRC will recognize Groundwater Awareness Week with an on-campus screening of Written on Water: A Modern Tale of a Dry West, followed by Q&A by film producer/director, Merri Lisa Trigilio. Against the immense, harsh landscape of the High Plains, innovators in places like Olton, Texas, fight to keep their towns alive against the decline of the life-giving Ogallala Aquifer. Here and in other communities sharing the Ogallala, the reality of groundwater decline is colliding with the legacy of independence and self-reliance that first turned the High Plains into a fertile dreamscape.
Transforming Wastewater to Drinking Water: How Two Agencies Collaborated to Build the World’s Largest Indirect Potable Reuse Project
When: April 13, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
Where: WRRC Sol Resnick Conference Rm. (350 N. Campbell Ave.)
Speaker: Adam Hutchinson, Recharge Planning Manager, Orange County Water District
In the early 2000s, two Orange County agencies faced some challenges. The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) needed to replace an ocean outfall for treated sewer water at a cost of millions of dollars. The Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) Water Factory 21, a groundbreaking water recycling facility constructed in the mid 1970s, was nearing the end of its useful life. Rather than focus on their individual needs, the two agencies developed a mutually beneficial project — the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), which currently generates 100 MGD of advanced purified water that is recharged into the Orange County groundwater basin to supplement potable supplies. Further expansion of the GWRS to 130 MGD will result in the recycling of all the available wastewater within OCSD’s service area, further bolstering the reliability of water supplies. In addition, GWRS water is very pure, with a TDS concentration of 70 mg/L, which greatly helps to reverse a salt imbalance in the basin and improve overall groundwater quality.