MWDOC Board Votes to Support Doheny Deslination
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (March 3, 2022) — The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the South Coast Water District’s (SCWD) continued development of the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. The vote comes as SCWD is set to proceed with the necessary regulatory permitting for the project. A public hearing is scheduled with the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board on March 9th regarding the reissuance of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the project.
“The entire board is delighted to support this project,” said MWDOC Board President Megan Yoo Schneider. “The Doheny Desalination Project is integral to the long-term system and supply reliability for Orange County as shown by our OC Water Reliability Study. South Coast Water District has been extremely collaborative and transparent in their efforts to move the project forward, and we will continue to support them through the process.”
The Project would create a local and drought-proof water supply utilizing environmentally friendly slant well technology. Beyond providing a local, secure, and dependable water supply for the SCWD and partners, the desalination facility would offer long-term emergency water supplies should the delivery of imported water be disrupted due to earthquakes or other natural disasters. MWDOC’s 2018 Orange County Reliability Study deemed the Doheny Project one of the most costeffective investments to meet annual and emergency supplies. The report prescribes the Doheny Project with the San Juan Watershed Project as the core reliability improvement strategy for South Orange County.
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The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) is a wholesale water provider and resource planning agency whose efforts focus on sound planning and appropriate investments in water supply development, water use efficiency, public information, legislative advocacy, water education, and emergency preparedness. MWDOC’s service area includes all of Orange County, with the exception of Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Fullerton. MWDOC serves Orange County through 27 retail water agencies.