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Orange County, California, water agencies win the 2008 Stockholm Industry Water Award for pioneering sewer water purification system
WaterWebster Staff
June 4, 2008
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The award for developing the world's largest groundwater recharge purification plant will be presented to executives from the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District on Aug. 21 during the 2008 World Water Week in Stockholm.
Lars Gunnarsson, chairman of the Award Committee, said “both agencies have demonstrated how communities can develop, implement and achieve sustainable water reuse. Their extensive involvement of private sector companies such as CDM and Trojan and Siemens, long-term commitment to research and development, and utilisation of cutting-edge technologies has established a model for water-stressed regions to replenish groundwater resources and improve water security.”
Staff from the two water agencies, which serve 2.3 million residents of Orange County, California, jointly developed the Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) system, which the award announcement said was "a water purification system which will provide enough water to meet the needs of an additional 500,000 people without diminishing groundwater resources for current or future generations."
According to a news release announcing the award, the GWR System diverts highly treated sewer water that is currently discharged into the ocean and purifies it through a series of advanced techniques: microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and hydrogen peroxide. The cleaned water is returned to the groundwater basin to increase both water supply and quality. The GWR system has established a blueprint for large-scale wastewater purification that is already being emulated in dry regions and nations, such as Singapore.
The Stockholm Industry Water Award honors and encourages business sector contributions to sustainable development in the water sector and is presented each August at the World Water Week in Stockholm. It was established in 2000 by the Stockholm Water Foundation in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Previous recipients:
2007 PUB Singapore
2006 The Sydney Water Corporation, Australia
2005 Procter & Gamble
2004 The Staple Fibre Division of Grasim Industries Ltd, India
2003 ZENON Environmental Inc, Canada
2002 Kaldnes Miljöteknologi AS, Norway
2001 The General Motors de Mexico Ramos Arizpe Complex, Mexico
2000 Northumbrian Water Limited, United Kingdom
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