Welcome to Orange County Water District Online 

Orange County Water District (OCWD) manages the large groundwater basin that provides reliable, high quality groundwater to 20 cities and water agencies and their 2.3 million customers in northern and central Orange County. OCWD is committed to constantly improving Orange County’s groundwater quality and reliability in an environmentally friendly way. With years of sound planning and appropriate investment in the groundwater basin, OCWD has more than doubled its output of water. The basin, which is larger than the largest reservoir in Southern California, has helped Orange County weather multi-year droughts in Southern California. It also provides an emergency back up supply of water for citizens living in south Orange County.

Our water quality and water research laboratories are some of the finest in the state, especially since opening the new expanded, state-of-the-art Advanced Water Quality Assurance Laboratory in October 2009. We have also worked with outside water quality and health experts to ensure that the groundwater we provide is safe and healthy. We want to be your trusted source for high quality water.

As arid Orange County continues to grow and be challenged by increasing demand and constrained imported water supplies, we are planning and investing in ways to get more water into and out of the groundwater basin. The Groundwater Replenishment System went on-line in January 2008 and is a reliable water supply to prevent seawater intrusion and to recharge our groundwater basin. We are very proud of this visionary water project and the high quality water it produces – better than bottled water. I encourage you to read about this exciting project at www.gwrsystem.com. If you have any questions or would like more information about the Orange County Water District, please call (714) 378-3200 or e-mail us at info@ocwd.com.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Markus, P.E.
General Manager
Orange County Water District

About Mike Markus

When Michael R. Markus, P.E., was named General Manager of the Orange County Water District in September 2007, he became only the sixth general manager in the District’s 74-year history. With more than 27 years of experience, Mike is well known for his expertise in construction management, planning and water resource management.

Mr. Markus joined OCWD in 1988 as construction manager. In 2004, Markus was elevated to assistant general manager overseeing water production and groundwater recharge operations, in addition to serving as program manager for the Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, the world’s largest indirect potable water recycling project. His portfolio at OCWD is impressive and includes overseeing construction of many of the water facilities OCWD depends upon today to refill and manage the groundwater basin.

Since joining OCWD, Markus has overseen the capital projects program that includes construction of more than 70 projects including the Green Acres Project, a water recycling effort that provides reclaimed water for landscape irrigation at golf courses, schools and parks. Other projects include installation of two rubber dams across the Santa Ana River, pump stations at all of OCWD’s major recharge basins and the construction of wetlands behind Prado Dam. 

Prior to OCWD, Markus spent two years with John Carollo Engineers and eight years with Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and his master’s in civil engineering from the University of Southern California. He is a registered Civil Engineer in the state of California.

The Orange County Water District manages the large groundwater basin that underlies northern and central Orange County that provides most of the water for more than 2.3 million citizens. The District is committed to enhancing Orange County’s groundwater quality and reliability in an environmentally friendly manner.  OCWD is a special district, separate from the County of Orange, which supplies water to retailers in the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.