Out in the Community
As part of its standard to forge and maintain long-term, positive and proactive relationships with members of the local community and greater water industry and to be transparent about its operations and programs, OCWD board members and staff speak regularly before groups and at events. We recently participated in the following:
- The full OCWD Board of Directors was in attendance at the OCWD PFAS congressional briefing that featured Congressman Harley Rouda and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA); and U.S. Representatives Gil Cisneros(D-39), Jose Luis Correa (D-46) and Alan Lowenthal (D-47). OCWD President Vicente Sarmiento moderated, Executive Director of Water Quality & Technical Resources Jason Dadakis provided a PFAS overview and city of Fullerton Director of Public Works Meg McWade provided a local overview of PFAS impact
- Executive Director of Planning & Natural Resources Greg Woodside and Natural Resources Director Richard Zembal provided a briefing on the District’s Prado Basin programs to senior U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff and members of the Corps’ Environmental Advisory Board. Attending the meeting at OCWD’s Prado Wetlands office was Stacey Brown, the Corps’ newly appointed chief of planning & policy
- Greg Woodside also gave a presentation on the status of Prado Dam Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, or FIRO, at the 6th Annual FIRO Workshop in San Diego
- Chief Hydrogeologist Roy Herndon presented a talk on OCWD groundwater management and seawater intrusion to the Central Coast Branch of the Groundwater Resources Association in Ventura
- Engineer Ben Smith provided a presentation to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) OC Younger Member Forum regarding working as an engineer for OCWD
- Principal Communications Specialist Gina Ayala served on an RFP panel for Mesa Water District, who is seeking to hire a firm to conduct its public opinion/awareness survey