Orange County Water Utilities Shared Services Partial List
AGENCIES/CITIES
East Orange County & Serrano water
districts
Orange County WD & its member
agencies
Orange County & Serrano water
districts, and Anaheim, Buena Park,
Newport Beach & Orange
Municipal Water District of Orange
County & Orange County WD
Municipal Water District of Orange
County & 21 agencies/cities
Municipal Water District of Orange
County & 29 agencies/cities
Municipal Water District of Orange
County, Anaheim, Fullerton & Santa
Ana
Municipal Water District of Orange
County, Anaheim, Fullerton & Santa
Ana
Municipal Water District of Orange
County with Irvine Ranch, Laguna
Beach County, Moulton Niguel,
Santa Margarita & South Coast
water districts, and San Clemente
SHARED SERVICES
East Orange County WD & Serrano WD share Accounting staff based on an agreement.
Draft 9/26/12
Orange County WD provides Water Quality testing, monitoring and compliance services for member agencies.
Orange County WD, Serrano WD and the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park and Orange jointly negotiated to
purchase sodium hypochlorite at overall savings of about $67,000/year compared to negotiating separately.
Municipal Water District of Orange County and Orange County WD share a receptionist, postage meter,
Boardroom and several conference rooms thereby reducing costs for both agencies.
Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) coordinated among 21 cities and agencies to develop
Urban Water Management Plans for each of the cities/agencies and MWDOC through a contract with one
consultant that resulted in overall savings of at least $350,000, plus savings of labor costs for the participants.
The Plans are required every five years by the State for water utilities to qualify for State grant funding.
Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) coordinates among 29 cities and agencies to develop,
print and distribute annual Consumer Confidence Reports (water quality information) through a contract with
one consultant that results in significant savings each year. Additionally, the process to develop the reports has
become more efficient each year, resulting in additional savings of money and labor.
Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) developed over a couple of decades a certified water
educational program for K-6th grades for public and private schools, and then converted the program over to
the Discovery Science Center to maintain and operate thereby reducing the cost of the program. The cities of
Anaheim, Fullerton & Santa Ana contribute to the annual funding based on students taught within their cities.
The MWDOC/Discovery Science Center program provides a more cost efficient method compared to each of
the cities developing and implementing their own programs.
Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) provides to the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton & Santa Ana
Water Use Efficiency Program planning and implementation, and grant assistance. MWDOC is developing a
Water Use Efficiency Master Plan to assist Orange County retail water agencies to comply with the State Water
Conservation Act of 2009 that requires a 20% reduction in urban water use by 2020.
Municipal Water District of Orange County facilitated the South Orange County Emergency Interconnection
Program whereby up to 30 cubic feet per second of potable water can be transferred through Irvine Ranch
WD’s water system during emergencies or planned outages to San Clemente, Laguna Beach County WD, Santa
Margarita WD & South Coast WD. The facilities were funded by the participating agencies.
Orange County WD & Orange
County Sanitation Districts
Orange County and Mesa water
districts, and Fountain Valley,
Newport Beach & Santa Ana
Irvine Ranch & Orange County water
districts
National Water Research Institute &
Orange County WD
Brea & Buena Park
Irvine Ranch, El Toro, Moulton
Niguel, Santa Margarita and Trabuco
Canyon water districts
El Toro, Irvine Ranch, Santa
Margarita & Trabuco Canyon water
districts
Irvine Ranch & Mesa water districts
and Orange
South Coast Wastewater Authority &
10 water districts and cities
Irvine Ranch WD and Tustin
El Toro, Moulton Niguel & Santa
Margarita water districts
Orange County WD & Orange County Sanitation Districts jointly developed, built and operate the Groundwater
Replenishment System (GWRS). Orange County Sanitation Districts provides the water source for GWRS, which
results in a new supply of highly purified water for Orange County WD to recharge the Orange County
Groundwater Basin to support groundwater pumping for Orange County WD’s 19 member agencies, and
reduces the need for imported water from the Bay-Delta/California Aqueduct and the Colorado River. Also,
GWRS has reduced treated wastewater discharges to the ocean by the Orange County Sanitation Districts and
avoided the need to expand their facilities.
Orange County WD built and operates the Green Acres Project (GAP) that provides recycled water for irrigation
to the 4 cities/agencies that reduces the need for imported water from the Bay-Delta/California Aqueduct and
the Colorado River. Rather than each agency building and operating individual recycled water plants, Orange
County WD constructed and operates one centralized plant.
Irvine Ranch WD provides recycled water supply to Orange County WD’s Green Acres Project through
Agreement. This arrangement provides for the beneficial use and cost sharing of surplus recycled water supply.
The National Water Research Institute uses office space within Orange County WD’s Administrative offices and
uses Orange County WD’s human resources department, as needed.
Brea provides IT (computer) support to Buena Park thereby reducing costs for both cities.
Irvine Ranch WD (IRWD), El Toro WD, Moulton Niguel WD, Santa Margarita WD & Trabuco Canyon WD are
jointly funding the design, construction and operation of the Baker Treatment Plant with IRWD as the lead
agency and eventual operator. The new water treatment plant will improve system reliability for the south
County agencies and provide water supply cost savings by avoiding Metropolitan Water District’s Treatment
Surcharge.
El Toro WD, Irvine Ranch WD, Santa Margarita WD & Trabuco Canyon WD jointly collect and treat sewage
flows through agreements to provide more efficient operations and cost savings.
Irvine Ranch WD, Mesa WD & Orange share SCADA facilities (computerized & remote controls of water
systems) including antennas and property for more efficient operations and cost savings.
South Coast Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) administers a purchasing cooperative for water treatment
chemicals whereby participating agencies can purchase chlorine and sodium hydroxide for disinfection of
water at more favorable prices providing cost savings to agencies. Participating agencies include El Toro WD,
Irvine Ranch WD, Moulton Niguel WD, South Coast WD, Santa Margarita WD, Trabuco Canyon WD, Emerald
Bay Service District and the cities of Laguna Beach, San Clemente & San Juan Capistrano.
Irvine Ranch WD has provided since Dec 1999 to Tustin a Cross-Connection and Backflow Prevention Program
and services. The program has been very successful, and provided benefits to Irvine Ranch WD & Tustin.
Santa Margarita WD has provided inspection services for capital improvement projects for Moulton Niguel WD
& El Toro WD.
Moulton Niguel & South Coast water
districts
Moulton Niguel, Santa Margarita &
South Coast water districts, and San
Juan Capistrano
37 water and wastewater utilities in
Orange County
Metropolitan Water District and its
26 Member Agencies including
MWDOC, Anaheim, Fullerton &
Santa Ana
287 water and wastewater utilities
in California
Moulton Niguel WD & South Coast WD jointly purchase salt for the production of chlorine for disinfection of
water thereby reducing cost for both agencies.
Moulton Niguel WD, Santa Margarita WD, South Coast WD & San Juan Capistrano provide recycled water
through various interconnections among the agencies or directly to customers of other agencies. This type of
shared service limits the amount of infrastructure necessary to provide recycled water. And, recycled water
offsets demands for imported water from the Bay-Delta/California Aqueduct and the Colorado River.
Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WEROC), managed by Municipal Water District of
Orange County (MWDOC) executed an Indemnification Agreement that has been used many times to request,
receive and provide mutual aid within Orange County during emergency response. WEROC also provides
emergency response related trainings and information, and participates in emergency planning activities.
Member Agency Response System (MARS), managed by Metropolitan Water District executed an
Indemnification Agreement that has been used several times to request, receive and provide mutual aid
among Metropolitan’s Member Agencies during emergency response.
California Water and Wastewater Agencies Response Network (Cal-WARN) executed Mutual Aid Agreements
among its members that has been used several times to request, receive and provide mutual aid within
California. Many O.C. water and wastewater utilities are members.