MWDOC Awarded $3 Million Grant from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Fountain Valley, CA (April 25, 2023) –The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) awarded $3 million to the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) for sustainable landscape improvements to residential, commercial, and public properties in Orange County. The multimilliondollar grant award came from the Bureau’s WaterSMART Grants Program for MWDOC’s Orange County Sustainable Landscapes Program Phase II (Program), which will promote water conservation by providing rebate incentives for transforming high-water-use landscaping and irrigation to water-efficient landscapes.

“Water use efficiency provides an impactful opportunity for our homeowners and businesses to help boost water reliability in the county,” said MWDOC President Megan Yoo Schneider. “The Bureau’s grant award supports MWDOC’s longstanding dedication to promoting sustainable landscapes and reducing water waste for all of Orange County. We want to express appreciation to our Representatives in Congress, Mike Levin (CA-49), Katie Porter (CA-45), and Lou Correa (CA-46), for their support in this effort.”

The $3 million award will help offset a total project cost of $7,627,198. MWDOC will offer rebates to residential, commercial, and public customers to convert water-intensive outdoor landscaping to California-friendly landscapes and install high-efficiency irrigation equipment. Over 1.9 million square feet of turf will be replaced, 5,360 smart irrigation controllers will be installed, and over 700,000 square feet of landscaping will switch from spray irrigation to drip irrigation, thanks to the program’s incentives. The project is anticipated to save 1,197 acre-feet of water annually, lowering Orange County’s dependency on imported water.

MWDOC provides water-saving resources to help conserve water and offers rebates to residents and businesses to use water more efficiently permanently. For more information on what opportunities are available, visit www.mwdoc.com/savewater.

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MWDOC is a wholesale water provider and resource planning agency whose efforts focus on sound planning and appropriate investments in water supply, water use efficiency, public information and outreach, legislative advocacy, emergency preparedness, and water education for all ages. Through these efforts, MWDOC serves all 3.2 million Orange County residents.

MWDOC’s 27 retail water agencies, comprised of both city water departments and water districts, provide retail water services to the public.