Orange County Water District

Name

Orange County Water District

Legal name

Orange County Water District

Website

https://ocwd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services (Groundwater Management and Reclamation)

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (221), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) Utilities (Aquifer/Reservoir Augmentation) (EUANAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Sourcing & Abstraction (Surface Water, Groundwater, Intake Works) (EUANAAAA), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Groundwater Remediation (Pump & Treat, Air Sparging, PRBs) (EUAIALAD), NRW Data Management & Water Balance (IWA Methodology, GIS/SCADA Integration, Digital Twins) (EUANAKAJ)

Keywords

• Groundwater management
• Water reuse services
• Water purification systems
• Groundwater replenishment
• Water utility management

Headquarters

HQ city

Fountain Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Groundwater Assessments: Annual assessments on 19 water retailers who pump groundwater from the basin. These stable revenues support OCWD's operations and infrastructure investments.
2. Property Taxes: Property tax revenues which have proven stable over time and contribute to OCWD's financial stability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Orange County Water District is a wholesale public water agency that manages the Orange County Groundwater Basin, supplying 85% of drinking water for 2.5 million residents across 19 member cities and retail water districts. Its flagship offering is the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), the world's largest advanced water purification facility for indirect potable reuse, which produces 130 million gallons of purified water daily via microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV/hydrogen peroxide treatment. Supporting infrastructure includes seawater intrusion barriers, the Prado Constructed Wetlands, PFAS treatment facilities, and a comprehensive water quality laboratory.

Product overview

Orange County Water District operates as a wholesale water agency managing the Orange County Groundwater Basin, the primary water source for 2.5 million residents in north and central Orange County. The core offering is the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), the world's largest water purification system for indirect potable reuse, which treats 130 million gallons of wastewater daily. Supporting infrastructure includes the Green Acres Project for non-potable water reuse, the Philip L. Anthony Water Quality Laboratory for comprehensive water testing, seawater intrusion barriers (Talbert and Alamitos), Prado Constructed Wetlands for natural water treatment, and the groundwater management program with recharge basins and monitoring wells. The District also operates PFAS treatment facilities and advanced stormwater capture initiatives including Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GWRS (Groundwater Replenishment System): World's largest water purification system for indirect potable reuse, a joint partnership between OCWD and Orange County Sanitation District
• Green Acres Project (GAP)
• Water Factory 21

Products and services

• Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) The world's largest advanced water purification system for indirect potable reuse, treating 130 million gallons of wastewater daily to produce purified drinking water that serves approximately 1 million people and meets 35% of local water demands. Operated as a joint partnership between OCWD and Orange County Sanitation District for member water retailers.
• Green Acres Project (GAP) A water reuse initiative providing recycled water for landscape irrigation at parks, schools and golf courses, industrial uses such as carpet dyeing, toilet flushing, and power generation cooling in Orange County.
• Philip L. Anthony Water Quality Laboratory A comprehensive groundwater and surface water monitoring laboratory that tests for more than 500 compounds, analyzes more than 20,000 samples annually, and reports more than 400,000 results from approximately 1,500 locations across the basin.
• PFAS Treatment Facilities Treatment systems and facilities designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater, addressing over 100 impacted wells with 53 already restored online for 15 retailers, at an estimated cost of $1.8 billion over 30 years.
• Seawater Intrusion Barriers (Talbert and Alamitos) Coastal barrier injection systems protecting the Orange County Groundwater Basin from seawater intrusion, including the Talbert Barrier in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley, and the Alamitos Barrier along the Los Angeles-Orange County border in Seal Beach and Long Beach.
• Prado Constructed Wetlands The largest constructed wetlands on the west coast of the U.S., consisting of 45 shallow ponds designed to naturally reduce nitrate concentrations and remove other chemicals from Santa Ana River water before it is recharged into the groundwater basin, while also providing habitat for protected wildlife species.
• Groundwater Management Program Comprehensive groundwater basin management service that operates 30 recharge basins storing and percolating water into the basin, 400+ monitoring wells, stormwater capture optimization, and the Santa Ana River 6-mile stretch management for OCWD member agencies.
• Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) A data-driven water management strategy using advanced atmospheric river forecasting and AI-powered monitoring tools (in partnership with Xylem) to make real-time decisions about reservoir operations at Prado Dam, enabling optimized dam releases for groundwater recharge.
• Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (SARCCUP) A collaborative, watershed-scale groundwater basin management and replenishment program that utilizes up to 137,000 acre-feet of storage in six groundwater basins, providing regional conjunctive use benefits for millions of customers across multiple water agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• GWRS produces 130 million gallons of water per day, enough for 1 million people
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered important, core, regulatory and emerging.

• XylemimportantTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Xylem provided AI-powered monitoring technology for the Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) project at Prado Dam. The technology provides accurate flow data during extreme weather events to optimize dam releases for groundwater recharge.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineersimportantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Collaboration on stormwater capture projects behind Prado Dam in Corona. The Corps manages Prado Dam while OCWD captures and recharges water into the groundwater basin. Also partners on FIRO initiative to become permanent by 2027.
• Orange County Sanitation District (OC San)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Joint partnership between OCWD and OC San to operate the Groundwater Replenishment System. OC San provides wastewater that is treated and purified by GWRS. This is a flagship partnership representing the world's largest water reuse facility.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCWD receives imported water from northern California and Colorado River through MWD and its subsidiary MWDOC. MWD provides the Local Resources Program (LRP) operational subsidy of $121 per acre-foot for GWRS.
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control BoardregulatoryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRegulatory body that reviews water quality reports and has final approval of GWRS water production and distribution. Part of state oversight framework for water quality.
• ArcadisemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partnership to pursue federal PFAS destruction opportunities. Collaboration to address emerging contaminants through advanced treatment technologies.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Santa Clara Valley Water District: California special district that manages groundwater basins and wholesale water supply for Santa Clara County, with active reuse and groundwater replenishment programs analogous to OCWD.
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency: Regional wastewater and water-reuse agency in San Bernardino County operating one of the largest groundwater recharge programs in California, with direct operational parallels to OCWD.
• San Diego County Water Authority: Wholesale water agency supplying San Diego County with imported and locally developed water, including recycled water. Closely comparable to OCWD as a regional water wholesaler with major capital infrastructure programs.
• East Bay Municipal Utility District: Major California water utility serving drinking water and wastewater services with significant recycled water programs. Comparable as a large integrated public water district with capital-intensive infrastructure.
• Orange County Sanitation District: OCWD's joint GWRS partner that supplies wastewater for purification. Comparable as a sister special district in the same service area with extensive wastewater treatment and reuse infrastructure.
• West Basin Municipal Water District: Los Angeles-area wholesale water agency that operates one of the largest water recycling programs in the U.S. Directly comparable to OCWD in its emphasis on recycled water and groundwater management.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Regional wholesaler that imports and distributes water across Southern California and is a key supplier to OCWD through MWDOC. Operates as a large public water agency with overlapping water-supply and infrastructure mission.

Others

• Xylem: Water technology company that partners with OCWD on the FIRO initiative, providing AI-powered monitoring. Comparable as a key technology enabler for advanced water infrastructure rather than a direct operating peer.

Regional players

• Central Basin Municipal Water District: Southern California wholesale water agency focused on groundwater replenishment in the Central Basin, with operational parallels to OCWD but serving a different service area.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: Largest municipal utility in the U.S., supplying water and power to Los Angeles. Comparable as a major California public water wholesaler with extensive reuse and groundwater programs, though at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ocwdwaternews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ocwaterdistrict
• Facebookfacebook.com/ocwaterdistrict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-county-water-district
• Instagraminstagram.com/ocwaterdistrict
• TikToktiktok.com/@ocwaterdistrict

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orange County Water District