Mesa Water Achieves Local Water Reliability with Completion of Mesa Water Reliability Facility

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, the Mesa Water District (Mesa Water) Board of Directors hosted a VIP Mesa Water Reliability Day ceremony, commemorating Mesa Water attaining 100 percent local water reliability, meaning the District is able to serve all of its customers’ water needs with local water supplies. The event took place at the recently improved Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF), which is responsible for increasing the District’s water production to bring Mesa Water to 100 percent local reliability.

“Mesa Water has achieved the long-standing vision of the District’s past and present Board of Directors by becoming 100 percent locally reliable,” said James R. Fisler, President of Mesa Water’s Board of Directors. He continued, “Being able to serve all of its customers’ water needs with local water supplies is a significant and unique achievement for a Southern California water agency, and the largest accomplishment in Mesa Water’s history since its formation in 1960.”

Celebrating the under-budget completion of a two-year improvements project that increased the MWRF’s water treatment capacity, Mesa Water Reliability Day coincided with the National Groundwater Association’s (NGWA) National Groundwater Awareness Week. The MWRF recently received an award from NGWA for groundwater protection. Mesa Water Reliability Day event highlights included:

• A demonstration of the award-winning MWRF’s state-of-the-art nanofiltration technology that treats amber-tinted water, sourced from a deep underground aquifer, and makes it clear…the amber tint in the source water is caused by a buried ancient redwood forest;
• Tours of the MWRF’s 15,000-square-foot “high-performance landscape” that includes a redwood forest with its own fog system, as well as four water-wise, native garden habitats with coastal grassland, coastal sage scrub, coastal succulents, and a riparian woodland;
• Acjachemem Tribe descendants Pearson Whitecloud Nunez and Jacqueline Nunez, native to the area, performing traditional music and paying tribute to the ancestral waters with a Native American blessing;
• Recognition from notable elected officials, including a commendation from Governor Brown and other U.S., state, and local government and water representatives who serve the Southland; and,
• Experts who explained the amber-tinted water, the area’s gardens, geology and history, the MWRF’s nanofiltration system; consumer-friendly tips were also provided on groundwater conservation and protection.

As Orange County’s most self-sufficient and sustainable water district with 100 percent local reliability, Mesa Water also benefits from having a 100 percent reliable “backup” supply of import water. The benefits provided by the MWRF include:

• Groundwater cleanup by keeping the amber water from migrating into the clear water basin;
• Hundreds of years of a local, drought-proof water supply for Mesa Water’s service area;
• More import water supply for other Southland municipalities and water agencies that depend on that source;
• Lowering the District’s energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon footprint to less than half it was before; and,
• Better control by Mesa Water of its water affordability and high quality.

Mesa Water is committed to educating the public on the importance of water as a precious resource in arid Southern California. Mesa Water Reliability Day kicked off the MWRF’s official opening, and the launch of free educational tours at the MWRF to be offered by appointment.

To schedule a MWRF tour, members of the public and press may contact Mesa Water District’s Communications Department at 949.631.1201 or info@MesaWater.org. More information about the MWRF is at www.MesaWater.org/mwrf.php.

About Mesa Water District (Mesa Water)

Founded on January 1, 1960, and governed by a publicly elected five-member Board of Directors, Mesa Water is an AAA-rated independent special district that provides water service to more than 110,000 customers in an 18-square-mile area. Mesa Water serves most of Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach, and some unincorporated areas of Orange County including John Wayne Airport. Dedicated to satisfying the community’s water needs, Mesa Water is now 100 percent locally reliant due to the District’s improved Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF) returning to service in 2012. For more information, visit www.MesaWater.org, email info@MesaWater.org, or call (949) 631-1201.

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