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Message to Our Readers
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Welcome back to eCurrents- your monthly Orange County water newsletter. Our goals are simple. To keep subscribers informed and up-to-date on water related infrastructure and policy news that impacts Orange County, to provide emergency management and water-efficiency resources, and to keep stakeholders apprised of MWDOC programs, calendar items, and current events.
In this edition, we have a lot of exciting news to share with you. MWDOC has launched a new branding effort which includes the unveiling of our new logo, and we are gearing up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our annual Poster Contest! In this issue, we have also included an update on the California WaterFix,
an innovative plan to modernize, and protect our state's aging water delivery system from the north. Additionally, we have highlighted two of our education efforts that target Orange County youth, the School Program and Boy Scouts partnership, because teaching the next generation about the value of water is a responsibility and a priority to our agency.
We hope you enjoy this issue of eCurrents. If you have any comments, or would like to tell us what types of articles you would like to see more of, send us an email at
[email protected].
Thank you for subscribing!
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CA WaterFix- Insurance for the Big One
By Damon Micalizzi
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Are you ready for the Big One? In California we get perpetual reminders that the Big One could come at any moment. Recent earthquakes in Mexico and Japan have served as sobering examples that perhaps it truly is not "if" but "when," and readying our emergency kits could mean the difference between survival and complete devastation. It is also important to remember, that whether the Big One comes a year from now, or ten years from now, until the California WaterFix is built, California is not ready.
There is a 72 percent chance that 6.7 magnitude earthquake will hit the Bay area by 2030. Much of Southern California's water supply travels through Bay Delta levees before entering the State Water Project. Already in decline, a major earthquake would destroy earthen levees in the Delta, inundating freshwater with seawater. Evolving environmental factors, changes in the weather and sea level rise are slowly doing the same thing. The Delta is one of the most vulnerable areas of arguably the most important piece of water infrastructure in the state.
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Metropolitan Enjoys Banner Year for Water Storage
Kevin Hostert
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It took a record winter to end the historic drought, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) is still putting water in the bank.
Northern California rainfall was the highest ever recorded since 1921. The result was 1.751 Million Acre Feet (MAF) of water available to Metropolitan on the State Water Project (SWP). The Colorado River Basin also had a good year and received above average snow and rain conditions for the first time since 2011, providing another 1 MAF available supply via the Colorado River Aqueduct. With total Metropolitan supplies estimated at 2.75 MAF, and Metropolitan Water Demands estimated at 1.5 MAF, assumptions are that Metropolitan will put a record 1 MAF into storage, resulting in total storage reserves of 2.3 MAF to start Calendar Year 2018.
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MWDOC Educates More Students with CORE High School Program
By Tiffany Baca
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The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) has been teaching Orange County students about the importance and value of water for over 40 years. Since the elementary school program's inception in 1973, more than 3 million Orange County students have learned about Orange County water under one of the most successful and well respected water-education curricula in southern California.
In 2015, MWDOC launched a CHOICE high school program through a partnership with the Orange County Department of Education, and their award-winning Inside the Outdoors (ITO) education program. By opting in to the program, water agencies and cities throughout Orange County collaborate to bring students in grades 9-12, comprehensive classroom instruction about where California water comes from and what challenges water professionals face delivering water to homes, businesses, industry, and agriculture all over the state.
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Boy Scouts Earn Soil and Water Conservation Merit Badge at El Toro Water District Water Recycling Plant
By Bryce Roberto
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On
Saturday, November 4, El Toro Water District (ETWD) hosted a Soil and Water Conservation Merit Badge Clinic for more than 40 Boy Scouts at ETWD's Water Recycling Plant. Scouts were presented an Orange County water overview and provided an introduction to water career opportunities by ETWD General Manager, Bob Hill. ETWD Board Director Fred Adjarian segued the presentation materials into inspirational stories of his own Scouts experiences, which gave him the life tools necessary to become the effective leader he is today in the Orange County water community
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MWDOC Poster Contest Celebrates
30 years of Art and Water!
By Jeannie Bui
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2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the MWDOC Water Awareness Poster Contest. The Poster Contest was developed to encourage our youngest water users, through artistic expression, to examine how water impacts their day-to-day lives.
Each year, 40 posters from across the County are selected as winners. To honor those students who took the top spots in past years, MWDOC will feature some of the winning artwork on the cover of our eCurrents newsletter each month.
The MWDOC Water Awareness Poster Contest is open to all Orange County students in grades K-12. Click on the link below, or visit our website for a complete list of rules and to learn more!
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December 4 @ 8:30 am:
Planning & Operations
Committee Meeting
December 6 @ 8:30 am:
Board Workshop/ Met Directors
December 13 @ 8:30 am:
Administration & Finance Committee Meeting
December 18 @ 8:30 am:
Public Affairs & Legislation
Committee Meeting
December 20 @ 8:30 am:
Board Meeting
December 21 @ 8:30 am:
Executive Committee
Committee Meeting
For information on MWDOC meetings and events, please click on the calendar icon, above.
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Poll of the Month
"If built, what do
you think the
biggest impact of
the CA WaterFix
would be?"
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CLICK HERE to take this one-question poll and see how other eCurrents readers feel about the same issues. Results will be shared in the following month's newsletter.
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MWDOC Adopts New Logo!
On Wednesday, September 20, the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) adopted a new District logo. The new, modern design replaces the original logo, which had served the district for forty-six years.
The new design conveys a simple message with clean, contemporary typography and graphics. The orange representing the 2.3 million Orange County residents served by MWDOC, the cool blue leaf signifys water within Orange County, and through the additional use of color, a subtle statement is made by clearly separating the "MWD" or "Municipal Water District of," and "OC."
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MWDOC is updating our contact lists! Use the button below to make sure you receive the information you care about.
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"LIKE US! Stay informed about key infrastructure developments that affect Orange County's water supply!"
- November 21
"Sometimes it's hard to imagine Orange County having its own water supplies but we do! That's why it's REALLY important to conserve and put water back into the ground whenever possible!"
-November 20
"As the first big storm moved through the Rockies & into the Western Plains, watches & warnings were given from California to Oklahoma to the Northern Plains."
-November 26
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