Independent advisory panel
The Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) is permitted by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) and the Division of Drinking Water (DDW). One of the provisions of the permit requires that an Independent Advisory Panel (the Panel) provide an on-going periodic scientific peer review of the GWRS.
The permit specifies minimum qualifications for the Panel members and requires that the Panel meet at least annually during the first five years of GWRS’ operation, and then every two years thereafter. The Panel reviews GWRS operational and water quality data, as well as proposed significant changes to or expansions of the project. The Panel provides findings and recommendations related to water quality monitoring, treatment process efficiency and compliance with regulations.
The Panel is appointed and administered by the prestigious National Water Research Institute (NWRI) to provide credible, objective review of all aspects of the GWRS. It is made up of experts in toxicology, chemistry, microbiology, hydrogeology, environmental engineering, public health and water treatment technology.
Bio-sketches of the NWRI Independent Advisory Panel for the Groundwater Replenishment System:
- James Crook, Ph.D., P.E. – Panel Chair
Environmental Engineering Consultant (Boston, Massachusetts) - Richard Bull, Ph.D.
Consulting Toxicologist
MoBull Consulting (Richland, Washington) - Amy Childress, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Environmental Engineering Program
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California) - Joseph A. Cotruvo, Ph.D., BCES
President
Joseph Cotruvo & Associates, LLC (Washington, D.C.) - Larry Honeybourne
Program Chief – Environmental Health Water Quality Section
County of Orange Health Care Agency (Santa Ana, California) - Reed M. Maxwell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director, Integrated Groundwater Modeling Center
Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colorado) - Joan B. Rose, Ph.D.
Homer Nowlin Endowed Chair for Water Research
Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) - George Tchobanoglous, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Davis (Davis, California) - R. Rhodes Trussell, Ph.D., P.E., DEE
Chairman and CEO
Trussell Technologies, Inc. (Pasadena, California)
About NWRI

NWRI was established in 1991 to address water supply and quality challenges facing our nation through cooperative research efforts. Their mission is to create new sources of water through research and technology and to protect the freshwater and marine environments. Major activities include: funding and guiding scientific research projects, supporting graduate fellowships and other water-related educational programs, developing outreach materials, holding workshops and conferences to promote new issues and technologies, providing peer-review panel services for local and state water agencies, managing projects or programs for water agencies and others, and awarding scholarly and practical achievements in water research with a national prize.
For more information about the GWRS Independent Advisory Panel or NWRI, please contact Kevin Hardy, NWRI Executive Director; 18700 Ward Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; (714) 378-3278; Website: www.nwri-usa.org.

