The Orange County Sanitation District has received national recognition as a Utility of the Future Today and Excellence in Management.

As a Utility of the Future, OCSD is one of 65 water utilities being recognized for transformational work in community engagement, watershed stewardship, and recovery of resources such as water, energy, and nutrients. This year OCSD is being recognized in a new area of performance – Energy Generation and Recovery.

As a resource recovery agency, OCSD works to reuse all beneficial products from the wastewater treatment process including biosolids, water, and energy. Protecting the environment is a key tenet of our organizational mission, which means that we look for ways to diversify our efforts. The energy costs to run our treatment plants are a significant part of our annual operating budget. As such, we continuously strive to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our operations, while ensuring compliance with strict environmental regulations and conservation goals of natural resources.

The Utility of the Future Today program was launched in 2016 by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the WateReuse Association, with input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Because of our commitment to sustainable, successful programs that exemplify the attributes of an effectively managed utility, we have also been given the Excellence in Management Gold Recognition by NACWA.

The Excellence in Management Program was launched in 2003 to acknowledge the significant achievements of NACWA member agencies in the utility management arena. The program honors member agencies that are implementing management practices that address a range of challenges.

“The awards represent the significant accomplishments by the Orange County Sanitation District and its staff,” stated Dave Shawver, OCSD Board Chairman. “Winning these awards demonstrates the Sanitation District’s commitment to community engagement, watershed stewardship, and resource recovery. I am honored and proud of all that we have accomplished together to benefit the 2.6 million people we serve while protecting public health and the environment.”

For more information on OCSD and the recognition read the full press release or visit www.nacwa.org.