Water Replenishment District Hosts 2014 State of the District, Installs Director Sergio Calderon as Board President

Assembly Member Anthony Rendon receives warm welcome as special guest speaker

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Water Replenishment District of Southern California

Jul 18, 2014, 05:00 ET

LAKEWOOD, Calif., July 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On July 17, 2014, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California hosted its annual State of the District featuring special guest speaker State Assembly Member Anthony Rendon. The event was attended by members of the water and environmental communities, local elected officials, and many others.

Incoming Board President Sergio Calderon speaks to attendees at the WRD 2014 State of the District (PRNewsFoto/Water Replenishment District SC)

WRD continued to focus heavily on its Water Independence Now, or WIN, program in 2014. During this ongoing statewide mega-drought, WIN projects and programs are increasing the water self-reliance of south Los Angeles County and are working toward eliminating the need for water imported from the California Bay Delta and the Colorado River for local groundwater replenishment.

Outgoing President Rob Katherman spoke about recent achievements, saying "I would like to thank the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Resources Control Board for approving WRD's application to increase the amount of recycled water used for spreading from 35% to 45%. This allows us to use an 11,000 acre-feet of highly treated recycled water for groundwater replenishment and cuts our need for imported water in half."

Incoming President Sergio Calderon said "Beginning my 2^nd term as Board President and my 7^th year as a Board member, I am proud to say we have once again voted unanimously to not increase our replenishment assessment. Through careful planning and fiscal responsibility we have continued to find ways to maintain the health of the Central and West Coast Groundwater Basins and the quality of our work without increasing costs to our customers. Our responsibility to the millions of people who live and work within our service area is at the forefront of everything WRD does, and we take that responsibility very seriously."

Special guest speaker Assembly Member Anthony Rendon said "I'm proud that WRD is leading the state in developing long term solutions to our water crisis. This agency has been a pioneer in maximizing the use of local water resources for nearly 55 years and the results are real. When completed, the Water Independence Now or "WIN" program will make the region completely independent from expensive imported water to recharge local groundwater basins and the benefits will be lasting."

For more information, please visit WRD at www.wrd.org.

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is the regional groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the quantity and quality of groundwater for two of the most utilized urban basins in the State of California. The service area is home to over ten percent of California's population residing in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County. WRD is governed by a publicly elected Board of Directors which includes Willard H. Murray, Jr., Robert Katherman, Lynn Dymally, Sergio Calderon, and Albert Robles.

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SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California