The Orange County Water District (OCWD) was named the 2022 winner of the Groundwater Resources Association’s Kevin J. Neese award. The award, given to OCWD for its robust PFAS treatment program, recognizes significant accomplishments by a person, persons, or entity that fosters understand, development, protection, and management of groundwater. OCWD is responsible for managing the Orange County Groundwater Basin underlying north and central Orange County. This basin supplies 77% of the drinking water supplies for 19 cities and retail water districts and serves 2.5 million people. OCWD received this recognition for its comprehensive efforts to remove PFAS from local groundwater, alongside launching the nation’s largest pilot treatment project in December of 2019 that works to construct PFAS treatment facilities that restore impacted drinking water supply.
