World Water Day to Focus on Wastewater as a Resource
“Wastewater” is the theme for 2017 World Water Day on March 22.
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater and invites everyone to take this opportunity to learn more about water related issues and be inspired to take action to make a difference. The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22, 1993 as the first World Water Day.
Wastewater is especially important in Orange County. Every day, the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) treats about 185 million gallons of wastewater, enough to fill Angel Stadium nearly three times. Of that, the Orange County Water District needs 135 million gallons to produce 100 million gallons per day of ultra-pure Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) water. That water is then piped into recharge basins to percolate down into the Orange County Groundwater Basin, where those who live in the District get 75 percent of their water.
Reused water has beneficial impacts for the environment and is extremely important to California due to cyclical droughts. Reused water is also necessary for sustainable management of the groundwater basin in our area to keep it safe from land subsidence and seawater intrusion and to keep it viable for future generations.
Take the opportunity to tour OCSD to learn about its pre-purification wastewater treatments. OCWD invites you to sign up for a tour and taste the results of the GWRS—the world’s largest advanced water purification project for potable reuse. The GWRS takes treated wastewater and purifies it using a three-step advanced water purification method consisting of microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV light/hydrogen peroxide for a product that exceeds federal drinking water standards.