Orange County’s 2 Water Agencies Should Merge Despite Difficulties: Grand Jury

The Orange County Water District plant in Fountain Valley, Calif., on April 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A recent report released by the Orange County Grand Jury called for the county’s two water agencies to join as “one voice” to manage water resources more efficiently, but some officials said consolidating the two might be too difficult to be beneficial.

The county’s water currently comes from two sources: the Orange County Water District, which draws water from a basin beneath north and central county, and the Municipal Water District of Orange County, which imports water from the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles.

The Grand Jury—which is made up of a group of citizens selected by Superior Court judges as a watchdog to the county government—argued in the June 22 report (pdf) that the single leadership could be established by either merging the two agencies or creating a new water authority altogether.

Either, according to the report, would require “a combination of governance and local and state legislative changes.”

The report stated that “[m]ultiple water experts agree it is time to coordinate strategies in water conservation, development of new supply and infrastructure, and preparation for the possibility of continued drought, disaster, and State-mandated water cutbacks,” despite potential “political, administrative, and operational challenges.”

The Orange County Water District plant in Fountain Valley, Calif., on April 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The OC Water District expressed its support for consolidation on June 22, shortly after the Grand Jury’s report was released.

“With the drought and dwindling water supply the Grand Jury Report accentuates that Orange County needs to have one voice to regional, state and federal lawmakers on critical water supply issues and regulations,” the agency’s President Steve Sheldon said in a statement.

The agency plans to meet with water managers countywide “to discuss an inclusive and open process to create a unified, strong voice for Orange County,” according to the statement.

The Orange County Water District plant in Fountain Valley, Calif., on April 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

On the other hand, Municipal Water District spokesperson Damon Micalizzi said that the grand jury has issued reports (pdf) recommending the two agencies join forces in the past, but that never happened because consolidation would not provide better service, reduced costs for customers, or more efficiency.

“The grand jury makes consolidation seem like a simple venture, but in the past, we’ve looked at it, and it just wouldn’t work,” Micalizzi told The Epoch Times.

In addition, Micalizzi said, consolidation would lead to a larger board with less accountability—while the county would lose a seat on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, an umbrella agency made up of 26 local water agencies across Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Diego, and Riverside counties.

The Municipal Water District’s board plans to discuss the Grand Jury report during its July 5 board meeting.