Since 1949, the Orange County Water District has purchased and sunk into the underground basin over 2 million acre-feet of supplemental Colorado River water. The cumulative cost of this water to our district exceeds $30 million.

This purchase of recharge water diverted to southern California since the metropolitan water district began its operation 30 years ago. If the direct supply to our cities and farms is included, Orange County has taken over 26 percent of all the Colorado River water ever imported by the metropolitan water district into southern California. It is impressive to note that if we project that our water replenishment needs in the Orange County water district for the forthcoming decade will approximately equal the amount we have thus far purchased for artificial recharge, an additional 2 million acre-feet of water will cost our district nearly $150 million based on current projected costs for available supplies.

In the 1950's when it was obvious that additional imported water supplies were needed and would have to be developed for the entire State, Orange County vigorously supported the State of California's Department of Water Resources' California Water Plan. First, deliveries of State water from this system into southern California are anticipated for the fall of this year. However, as we prepare to receive this water, it is becoming increasingly apparent that our traditional reliance upon development and operation of interbasin transfer systems is past. Excessive cost, together with growing awareness of ecological and environmental problems force new perspectives for future water supplies.

It is a distinct possibility that our water requirements must be satisfied by recycling wastewater and distillation of seawater.

At the present time, the Orange County Water District has accomplished one of its primary goals: that is, to replenish the quantity supply of our ground water basin. It is our current thinking, however, that it is no longer enough to say that water for municipal and industrial purposes is acceptable merely because it is wet. Studies have shown us that poor quality water carries with its use many hidden costs to the consumer. Therefore, we are vitally interested in obtaining early delivery of northern California water to upgrade the deteriorating quality of our available supplies. Immediate implementation of the peripheral canal is a major objective of our district.

To further project the quality of our ground water resources the district is planning to construct a coastal seawater barrier system. This fresh water dam, if you will, will involve injecting over 30,000 acrefeet of water annually into the underground at sufficient pressure to prevent further seawater intrusion. When the barrier is fully operational, our engineers estimate the barrier will replenish as much as 28,000 acre-feet per year to water supplies of the coastal communities of Orange County.

One fresh water source for the barrier will be the product water from the desalting plant the Office of Saline Water will construct under the cooperative agreement we have just signed together. A companion wastewater reclamation plant is planned for construction adjacent to the desalter. The combined supplies from both the plants will be blended and pumped to a series of injection wells and placed underground. Thus the product water from our desalination module will

be used to create one of the most advanced environmental protection programs in the United States.

The barrier program I have described is consistent with the Orange County Water District's tradition of management by anticipation. We are delighted the cooperative agreement with the Office of Saline Water was made available to our district. We look forward to joining the Office of Saline Water as a partner in this effort to construct and operate a seawater desalting facility in Orange County.

Thank you.

Chairman JOHNSON. We want to thank you, Mr. Segerstrom for your very fine statement on behalf of the Orange County, Water District on Orange County's water needs. We are glad to know what you are doing with the waters which you are now receiving and what you are going to do with the water that will be desalted there. I also see here where you were going to build a wastewater treatment plant there adjacent to the module.

That is on your own?

Mr. SEGERSTROM. We have an application for a grant to build a 15 million-gallon-a-day plant, and, if I may, I would like to at this time ask Mr. Owen if he might like to amplify that statement, since his statement that he wants to present today will further touch

Chairman JOHNSON. Well, we'll get to him a little later and let him answer that.

I want to say that I appreciate being present to witness the signatures on the new contract between Orange County and the Office of Saline Water. Did they give you sufficient copies? If so we would like to place a copy of that contract in today's record. Now, we can get one from the Office of Saline Water if they didn't give you sufficient copies.

Mr. SEGERSTROM. Sir, I think it would be appropriate if Director O'Meara could do that.

Chairman JOHNSON. We'll ask him this afternoon, but we will want a copy for the record.

Mr. SEGERSTROM. I don't think we have that many copies.

Chairman JOHNSON. We are now ready to hear the other gentleman who is your general manager there at the Orange County Water District. He can elaborate on the new plant application, other than the one you are building jointly with the Office of Saline Water.

Mr. OWEN. My name is Don Owen, secretary-manager of the Orange County Water District.

I have presented, or I have given the committee some testimony, I would just like to briefly summarize it rather than reading through it. Chairman JOHNSON. Your full statement will be placed in the record as if read in full, and then you can summarize it.

(The full statement of Don Owen follows:)

STATEMENT OF LANGDON W. OWEN, SECRETARY MANAGER, ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT, CALIF.

THE ROLE OF DESALINATION TECHNIQUES IN GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT In general, the Orange County area of California is the ideal location in which to apply all the textbook techniques of water basin management. The tools to provide the service to satisfy the demands are all there: a wonderful groundwater basia, an adequate surface distribution and storage facilities, the framework of institutional and financial systems and a variety of water supply alternatives.

The problem of managing a groundwater basin in Southern California is that nothing is so variable as a water supply in the Southwestern United States. The Santa Ana River, the backbone of Orange County's natural supply, is at best an intermittent stream. The Colorado River, at one time considered the solution to increasing water demands in our area, has been the subject of national debate for years; but as far as is now practical, we in Southern California must accept that this source will diminish in quantity and quality. The California Water Plan was considered the panacea for all our water problems, but as has been well documented, the opponents of this project, both regionally and environmentally-as well as the complications of skyrocketing costs-have jeopardized this project to the point that the actual quantity of water available on a longterm basis is virtually uncertain.

The Orange County Water District through the years has always attempted to plan its operations to utilize surplus waters of any and all water development projects as they occur in our area. The District has sought to build reliability into its operation by encouraging conjunctive use of groundwater, surface supplies, and imported water systems; and despite the vagaries of natural supplies and the political and economic complications of supplemental water at this point in time, we have been successful in providing an adequate water supply to our residents. But, if we have learned anything about groundwater management during the passing years we have learned it is imperative to retain flexibility in management. To allow us greater latitude in operating levels of our basin it will be necessary to construct a seawater intrusion barrier, and it is vital that we have a fixed supply of high quality water to maintain the barrier system.

With the advent of the desalter, for the first time in history we will have in Orange County a supply of water that is not vulnerable to the many hinderances, both natural and man inspired, upon which to base our management operations. I am delighted the Orange County Water District is in partnership with the United States Government Office of Saline Water to construct this desalting facility in our County. The direct benefit this plant offers our area by providing high quality water at the precise location we require high quality water is impressive. The indirect benefits of technological progress, environmental improvements and operational experience are equally impressive.

The growing suspicion that future import projects will not be constructed to serve additional water requirements in Southern California has caused all of us to review our future demands. The Orange County Water District has for the past six years been conducting studies to determine the most feasible method of reclaiming wastewater for use as replenishment water or sea water barrier purposes. The problem in our area is simply the base quality of our water is so high in dissolved minerals that, short of dimineralization, a severe salt balance problem would develop within a short time if we were to recycle our used water. For relatively low costs it is possible to polish wastewater into a potable water supply that contains 1100 to 1200 ppm TDS. We propose to blend the higher cost, virtually salt-free water, from the distillation plant on a 50-50 ratio and produce a competitive priced water that contains a usable 600 ppm TDS. The desalting plant will enable us to salvage at least 15,000 acre feet of water that would otherwise be lost to the sewer.

The unique coupling of a seawater distillation plant offers some very attractive bonuses. The 15 mgd wastewater reclamation plant to be constructed by the District adjacent to the desalting module will consist of the following six treatment processes:

1. Clarification unit to remove phosphorous, suspended solids, toxic material, bacteria and virus.

2. Ammonia stripping to remove nitrogen.

3. Recarbonation to soften water.

4. Filtration for the removal of suspended solids.

5. Carbon adsorption for the removal of toxic material, color and odor-causing dissolved organic material and heavy metals.

6. Chlorination to destroy bacteria and virus.

As noted, the plant effluent will be blended with the desalted seawater or, during plant shut-downs, with deep well water and then injected into the underground basin.

The waste heat from the VTE/MSF desalter module will be used to improve the efficiency of the nitrogen removal process in the wastewater reclamation plant. Nitrogen is removed from wastewater by passing through a tower structure similar to a water cooling tower. The nitrogen is removed in the form of ammonia gas, thus the term "ammonia stripping."

The efficiency of the nitrogen removal by air stripping is a function of temperature. Efficiency increases with increasing temperature. The efficiency of the ammonia stripper will be improved by utilizing waste heat from the VTE/MSF module plant to heat the air flow through the towers. The concept for combining the VTE/MSF brine and fresh water cooling towers into the air stream for the ammonia stripper involves the flow of heated brine and fresh water from the module plant across the air intake structure of the ammonia stripping towers. This will result in increasing the temperature of the air flowing through the ammonia towers with resultant increase in removal of ammonia. The brine and fresh water streams from the module would be cooled in the process. Thus, one combined structure will serve the dual function of cooling water streams from the VTE/MSF module and removal of nitrogen from wastewaters.

The economic savings will result from fewer structures, less space required, and lower operating costs. Environmental improvements will result from: reduction in the number of pieces of noise-producing equipment such as cooling fans and pumps, and elimination of salt spray from a brine cooling tower.

The present sewer outfall of the County is dumping over 130 mgd of relatively fresh water into the marine environment. When the brines from the desalter are blended with the sewage, it is anticipated the shock to the marine organisms in the area of the present outfall discharge will be lessened.

For the past two years it has been the engineers' burden to be accused of despoiling our planet with technological litter that is robbing our earth of its natural life support systems. This proposal, to salvage a product of man's waste with the product of artificially stimulating the hydrological cycle, is one of the first attempts to apply technology to positively improving our environment and minimizing our ecological interferences.

The exciting promise of this unique water factory is a milestone in the history of water development facilities. We in Orange County are extremely pleased to welcome the technology of the Office of Saline Water to the everyday world of providing large quantities of water to the community. We feel we are taking one large step forward to the ultimate resolution of our water supply requirements. The future is bright.

Mr. OWEN. The principal point I'm trying to make in the testimony is the role of desalinization and how it fits into an overall management plan, such as we have in Orange County. I think I heard a discussion this morning about whether desalinized water can be made cheap enough for agricultural purposes.

I don't think, really, if you take it all by itself and consider a single water supply system, I don't think we can make it cheap enough for MMI supplies today. And by integrating it into a system whereby you capitalize on the high quality nature of the almost pure water that comes out of the desalinization plant and you integrate it with waste water reclamation in the case of our particular coastal project, we can make water at a competitive price to which we can purchase it through other more traditional ways that are arriving at our supply. I'm going to use one example, and this is why I hold a great hope for cost breakthrough in the field of manufacturing water, and that is by properly integrating the desalinization plant with a wastewater reclamation plant that we're talking about, we can accomplish some rather phenomenal new thinking and new approaches and some cost savings.

As one example, and the one I've talked about in my paper, is the combination of taking the excess heat developed through desalinization plant, normally a burden and an environmental problem. By taking this heat, and using it beneficially in the waste-water reclamation plant, in the removal of biostimulants in the form of ammonia stripping towers, we can increase the operational efficiency of the wastewater reclamation plant, at the same time we can eliminate approximately $350,000 of the capital cost of the desalinization plant.

I would call to your attention this amounts to about a 7-percent saving in capital construction of a desalinization plant, all told about a 12-percent savings in the operational costs of the waste-water reclamation plant. This is probably one of the larger cost breakthroughs that you could expect to find and we have arrived at this after only 3 months of looking at some of the prospects of integrating these two plants.

Additionally, we are looking at the prospect of using the brine water that comes out of the desalinization plant to blend with sewage being discharged in the Pacific Ocean at almost the same concentrations as sea water, thereby removing the environmental impact of the fresh water discharge in the ocean area.

This has environmental benefits for us. We are very hopeful that there are some truly significant environmental and cost savings that can be accomplished by the proper integration of desalinization into a management program. I think the technology developed over the last 20 years by OSW in the desalinization program is now at the point to where it needs to be applied practically in the real world of water supply. I think that is the role that we are looking forward to, and I appreciate this time before the committee.

Thank you.

Mr. JOHNSON. Now, in connection with your second plant; I understood Mr. Segerstrom to say that you are making application for a grant. Under what program?

Mr. OWEN. We are applying under the Clean Water Bond Act that was passed in California which is a State project which works in conjunction with Public Law 660 grant program and direct WQA.

Mr. JOHNSON. You are going to take advantage of the Federal program as well as the new State program, where they will fund up to 25 percent of the program?

Mr. OWEN. He is requesting that; yes.

Mr. JOHNSON. And the local district would put in approximately 30 percent?

Mr. OWEN. Yes. I believe it comes out almost 80 percent if you get a full grant. However, there is some question at this time in California whether they are going to be able to grant at that high a level. Mr. JOHNSON. Very good.

The gentleman from California, Mr. Hosmer.

Mr. HOSMER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say to our witnesses, I am honored to represent in Congress a portion of the Orange County Water District. I am very proud to be associated with a progressive and farsighted risk-taking organization, such as the Orange County Water District.

The module, the VTE/MSF, that you plan here, will produce how much fresh water?

Mr. SEGERSTROM. It is 3 million gallons a day is the module's capacity.

Mr. HOSMER. And assuming it were expanded from a module to a full-sized plant, what would the production come to?

Mr. SEGERSTROM. I understand from the testimony this morning and from what we know, about 12,500,000.

Mr. HOSMER. And does the water district have contingency plans for such an expansion should the module prove satisfactory?