Laserfiche WebLink
Water in Orange County Needs “One Voice” <br /> <br /> <br />2021-2022 Orange County Grand Jury Page 11 <br /> <br />History, Governance and Authorizing Legislation <br />MET <br />In 1928, the Metropolitan Water District Act was established by the California Legislature. The <br />original purpose was to construct and operate the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct, which runs <br />from an intake at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border to an endpoint at Lake Mathews <br />reservoir in Riverside County. MET has a 38-member board of directors representing the <br />district’s 26 agencies. Orange County is represented on the MET Board by seven Board <br />members. MET has imported water from the Colorado River since 1941 and from Northern <br />California since the early 1970s.8F <br />9 <br />MWDOC <br />MWDOC is a wholesale water supplier and resource planning agency that was established in <br />1951. Governed by a seven-member Board of Directors,9F <br />10 MWDOC is MET’s third largest <br />member agency and appoints four representatives to advocate the interests of Orange County on <br />the Metropolitan Water District Board.10F <br />11 <br />OCWD <br />The Orange County Water District was formed in 1933 by a special act of the California <br />Legislature to protect Orange County’s rights to water in the Santa Ana River. OCWD is <br />governed by a 10-member Board of Directors, seven of whom are elected, and three are <br />appointed by the city councils of Anaheim, Fullerton, and Santa Ana.11F <br />12 <br />Retail Water Districts <br />Each retail water district was established throughout Orange County’s history and provides water <br />directly to consumers. They are each governed by an elected board of directors, respective city <br />councils, or private investors. <br />Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) <br />As part of California’s water governance, LAFCO oversees geographic boundaries, evaluates <br />cost-effective and efficient public service delivery, and explores potential alternatives to meet the <br />service demands of the existing and future County population. Orange County LAFCO was <br />founded in 1963 and strives to ensure the delivery of effective and efficient public services, <br />including water, by local governments to the County’s residents.12F <br />13 Orange County water <br /> <br />9 www.mwdoc.com/about-mwdoc; www.mwdh2o.com/who-we-are/our-story/ <br />10 www.mwdoc/about-us/about-mwdoc <br />11 www.mwdoc.com com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/So-Cal-Water-Wholesale-Retailers.pdf <br />12 www.ocwd.com/about/ <br />13 www.oclafco.org/about-us/agency/