A research and demonstration project permit under the new California groundwater recharge regulations

Abstract

On November 15, 1991, the Orange County Water District (OCWD) was issued the first permit for a research and demonstration groundwater recharge project under the proposed Regulations for Groundwater Recharge with Reclaimed Wastewater being developed by the California Department of Health Services (DHS). The Department approved the injection of 100 percent reclaimed water from OCWD's Water Factory 21 (WF-21) into the Orange County groundwater basin to maintain a seawater barrier and to replenish aquifers used for domestic water supply. The proposal was approved as an ongoing “research and demonstration project”, subject to several conditions. The process leading to the approval, the conditions imposed, and how OCWD will comply with those conditions are the main subjects of this presentation.