FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. -- Congressman Dana Rohrabacher from Huntington Beach and Congressman Peter J. Visclosky from Indiana visited Orange County Water District (OCWD) this week to receive briefings on OCWD and its activities in the water industry. With the recent California energy crisis, both leaders were interested in how OCWD is planning now to meet Orange County’s future water needs to avoid as much as possible a similar crisis with water.

OCWD staff discussed the Groundwater Replenishment System, a joint project of OCWD and the Orange County Sanitation District to provide Orange County a reliable new source of purified water. Congressman Visclosky is the Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. The Subcommittee recommends appropriation of federal funds for water projects nationwide.

Congressman Rohrabacher is on the House International Relations Committee and is a strong supporter of the Groundwater Replenishment System. Rohrabacher noted that the project will not only guarantee a reliable water supply for Orange County, but also provide important technological and scientific advances in the water purification industry.

OCWD is a special agency created by the California Legislature to maintain and manage the groundwater basin under the northern and central areas of Orange County. The OCWD supplies 75 percent of the water needs to more than 2.7 million residents and businesses in Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, most of Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.