ISSUE 2 VOLUME 10, APRIL 2016
Tickets on Sale, Sponsorships Available for May 20 OC Water Summit
Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are now available for the 9th Annual OC Water Summit, which is expected to draw more than 350 water, civic and business leaders on May 20. 

Themed "Turbulent Times," the summit will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 20 at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. 

Intricacies of providing reliable clean water will be covered by panelists, as will the challenges of leadership. One of the most anticipated speakers is author Richard A. Wilson, who wrote about a series of political decisions that led to the "Death of a Water District."

For information on sponsorships and tickets, see  www.ocwatersummit.com  
 
OC Beats Goal in Water Mandate

Orange County residents saved 93,141 acre-feet of water - enough to supply over 184,000 households for one year - in the nine months since state-mandated water conservation measures took effect. The collective effort of all OC residents propelled the county to exceed its state-mandated reduction goal.
 
East Orange County Water District, Serrano Water District, and Yorba Linda Water District led Orange County in total savings, surpassing their mandated 36 percent reduction goal - the maximum possible amount assigned by the State Water Resources Control Board. The cities of Seal Beach and Santa Ana, as well as Golden State Water Service [West Orange] exceeded their mandated conservation goals by the largest margins.
 
On April 1, 2015 Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-28-15, which directed the state water board to impose restrictions to achieve a statewide 25 percent reduction in potable urban water use. The water board then directed individual water agencies across California to reduce water usage between 8 percent and 36 percent - relative to 2013 water usage - to achieve the statewide goal. 

 Click here to read entire story.

OC Agencies Participate in Statewide Push to Gather Reliable Data
Three Orange County water districts were among those recognized during  The White House Water Summit as part of the California Data Collaborative, an effort to fast track and enhance water conservation efforts by teaming together to share data and knowledge.

The Irvine Ranch, Moulton Niguel and Santa Margarita water districts are among seven that make up the Collaborative. The goal of the joint effort is to establish and accelerate the development of smart conservation targets by collectively leveraging water use data from the 3.7 million people the agencies serve.

Over the next six months the Collaborative will use its more than 1.8 billion records to develop a new, statewide water conservation framework customized to the unique needs of California's diverse communities.


Metropolitan Water District of So Cal Adopts Two-Year Budget 
Leaders of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET) on April 12 approved a two-year budget with just modest wholesale rate increases. MET imports water for 19 million people in six counties.

MET directors also rejected a proposal for a new untreated water charge, agreeing instead to set up a work group to study the issue.

The Municipal Water District of Orange County is represented on the MET board by Directors Brett Barbre and Larry Dick and public members Linda Ackerman and Larry McKenney. Stephen Faessel represents Anaheim, Peter Beard represents Fullerton and Michele Martinez represents Santa Ana. MWDOC is OC's water wholesaler and represents 28 cities and agencies on the MET board.

The 38-member board MET board adopted a $1.65 billion budget for fiscal year 2016-17 and a $1.69 billion budget for fiscal year 2017-18, with associated 4 percent average increases in Metropolitan's wholesale water rates in calendar years 2017 and 2018.  The MET budget includes $100 million for rebates on devices and programs that save water. 

MWDOC directors are scheduled to consider that agency's operating budget of $9.4 million in May.
Calendar of Events
Upcoming Meetings/Events

April 18 @ 8:30 a.m.:
MWDOC Public Affairs & Legislation Committee Meeting

April 20 @ 8:30 a.m.:
MWDOC Board Meeting

May 2 @ 8:30 a.m.:
MWDOC Planning & Operations Committee Meeting 

May 11 @ 8:30 a.m.:
MWDOC Administration and Finance Committee Meeting 

May 13 @ 7:45 a.m.:
Water Advisory Committee of Orange County Meeting 

June 30 @ 11:30 a.m. Independent Special Districts of OC Meeting

All meetings are at MWDOC, 18700 Ward Ave., Fountain Valley.  For information on MWDOC meetings and events, please click on the calendar icon above.

Kudos
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El Toro Water District Earns Recycling Honor

The WateReuse Association California Section selected El Toro Water District (ETWD) as the 2016 Recycled Water Agency of the Year to receive the WateReuse Award for Excellence in its size category.  

The WateReuse Association educates the public on the importance of reusing water and to advocate for policy, laws and funding to increase water reuse in communities across the United States.
 

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