WRD Board President Albert Robles Named Among Top 100 Green Latinos in U.S.

Business magazine selects Robles as one of the top leaders in Environmental Regulation

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Water Replenishment District of Southern California

May 02, 2013, 06:39 ET

LAKEWOOD, Calif., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest edition of Poder 360° released its list of the Top 100 Latino Environmental Leaders and selected Albert Robles, Board President of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD). Robles, who is serving in his second consecutive term as Board President, was chosen for his outstanding leadership on environmental regulation.

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"I am deeply honored to be recognized by such a distinguished business news publication," said President Robles. "The pioneering work we do at WRD toward making Southern California more independent from unreliable and expensive imported water is critical to the future of not only Southern California but the entire state. Without WRD's efforts to eliminate our dependence on imported water, the very strength of the economy for California, specifically, Southern California where the demand for water exceeds nature's availability is in jeopardy."

Albert Robles is listed alongside other prominent environmental leaders such as: Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar; Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro; and Former US Energy Secretary Federico Pena.

WRD provides drinking water to more than ten percent of California's population which is located in one of the state's most densely populated regions – southern Los Angeles County. At a cost that is approximately one-quarter the cost of imported water from Northern California's environmentally sensitive Bay Delta and the Colorado River, WRD is expanding opportunities to reclaimed and highly treated local water resources, and storing more water underground for use during dry seasons. These cumulative efforts have made WRD water one of the least expensive and most reliable sources of drinking water in the state.

During Robles' tenure as Board President, WRD has delivered on significant environmental accomplishments. This past year WRD received the Institution of the Year Award from the WateReuse Association, one of the nation's leading organizations that promotes cutting edge and innovative uses of high-quality, locally produced, sustainable water sources. WRD received the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold Certification for its Lakewood headquarters building as well as the Energy Star Certification. In addition, the Government & Finance Officers Association of the US and Canada awarded its highest accolade for government budgeting with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

"We are doing amazing things here at WRD and we are at a defining moment in the agency's 54-year history," stated Robles. "We are now at the point of becoming completely independent of imported water. As the demand for and the struggle over water increases in the coming years, WRD will be positioned to insure that residents in our region have an affordable and reliable source of clean, safe drinking water."

As a premier Hispanic business magazine, PODER is written for a global audience of influential senior business and political decision-makers. Its in-depth, cutting edge editorial coverage and exclusive insider access and information on the U.S. Hispanic market and Latin America have made it an influence in the social, economic, political and cultural arenas.

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, Lillian Kawasaki, Sergio Calderon, and Albert Robles.

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

SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California