Local water supplies meet roughly half of Orange County’s total water demand. To meet the remaining demand, The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) purchases approximately 70.2 billion gallons of imported water per year – from northern California and the Colorado River – through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). MWDOC delivers this water to its 27 member agencies, who in turn, provide retail water services to the public.
MWDOC is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. Each director is elected by the public to represent a specific portion of Orange County. MWDOC also appoints four representatives to advocate the interests of Orange County on the Metropolitan Board. Metropolitan is the largest water provider in the nation and MWDOC is the third largest Metropolitan member agency, holding key leadership positions on the Board of Directors that oversee finances, policy development, strategy, and implementation.
MWDOC is committed to providing a reliable supply of high quality water for Orange County now, and long into the future. Working closely with Metropolitan and our 27 member agencies, MWDOC studies and evaluates opportunities to improve Orange County’s water supply resources and overall system reliability. Understanding local planning challenges and developing regional stakeholder partnerships, MWDOC works to expand Orange County’s water supply portfolio by providing planning assistance and local resource development in the areas of recycled water, groundwater recharge, ocean water desalination and conservation.
MWDOC is steadfast in its mission to keep Orange County involved and up-to-date on current water news, water-saving opportunities and pending policy matters through its award-winning public information and outreach programs. Every year MWDOC hosts regularly scheduled Water Policy Symposiums, Elected Officials Forums, educational tours, and co-sponsors the annual O.C. Water Summit in order to engage and educate elected officials, community and business leaders, water industry professionals and the general public about water issues affecting Orange County and beyond. Additionally, MWDOC produces public service announcements and educational collateral pieces including videos, presentations, and briefing papers to ensure our stakeholders are equipped and well versed on issues facing the water industry. MWDOC further engages the public by participating in community events, having an active speakers bureau, and a robust award-winning social media presence.
Water education is one of the most significant investments we can make in our future water supply and reliability. Good health, environmental sustainability, and an introduction to exciting careers are just a few benefits. Investing in early water education is more than goodwill; it is also smart economics. MWDOC offers a variety of water education programs and activities that support environmental literacy and good water stewardship for all Orange County students.
MWDOC has created award-winning programs that target all water users. Through an innovative, multi-agency approach, MWDOC develops, implements, and evaluates water use efficiency programs that provide multiple benefits. Programs include educational classes, performance reporting, water use surveys and consumer incentives for water-efficient devices. Through the development, implementation and evaluation of these programs, Orange County saves more than 17.1 billion gallons of water each year.
The Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WEROC), which is administered by MWDOC, provides mutual aid planning assistance, and effectively trains member agency volunteers throughout the year, to coordinate and deliver skillful emergency response for all Orange County water and wastewater agencies.
WEROC works closely with the County of Orange, the Orange County Fire Authority, the California Department of Public Health and other entities to ensure a thorough and well-coordinated emergency response in the event of a disaster.
Through strong leadership and sound representation at Metropolitan, MWDOC works diligently to secure a dependable water future for all Orange County. This includes unwavering advocacy on behalf of the service area on issues such as water resource and infrastructure planning, development of imported water rates and charges, and sponsorship of statewide water policy that supports regional reliability. MWDOC staff and consultants regularly examine pending legislation and provide updates to the Board of Directors monthly. Through this process, the Board of Directors regularly take “official positions” on specific legislative proposals and public policy issues based on MWDOC’s adopted Legislative Policy Principles. The MWDOC Board of Directors, management, staff, and consultants monitor and shape state and federal legislation that impacts the water community and the region as a whole, advocating on behalf of Orange County.