News
March 31, 1998
Fountain Valley, CA. The Association of Groundwater Agencies (AGWA) has joined the national Groundwater Foundation as a 1998 Groundwater Guardian Affiliate. As such, they will assist Groundwater Guardian Communities to address issues and promote shared responsibility to foster sustainable groundwater protection efforts. In the AGWA service area there are five Groundwater Guardian Communities including Agua Dulce, Desert Hot Springs, Inglewood, Orange County Water District, and Oxnard Plain. Combined, the communities serve the water needs of 2.4 million people, producing approximately 11 billion gallons of water per year.
According to Carol Williams, AGWA Groundwater Guardian Affiliate Team member and Executive Officer, Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, the Affiliate objectives are to support the development of new Groundwater Guardian Communities, draw attention to educational resources on groundwater issues, and provide technical assistance and support to existing Groundwater Guardian Communities.
According to Williams, recent examples of the results oriented activities that underscore the success of the Groundwater Guardian program included the west coast's first Drinking Water Festival sponsored by the Orange County Water District; an oil recycling video titled, "Oil and Water: Don't Mix", created by Inglewood; the launch of the "Water Willy" education program by Desert Hot Springs; the publication of a special newspaper insert by Oxnard Plain; and a community-wide Controlled Mitigation and Monitoring Plan produced by Agua Dulce. "By joining these individual efforts, we will all benefit from lessons learned," said Williams.
"We've seen firsthand the positive impact Groundwater Guardian Communities can have on water issues," explained AGWA Board President William R. Mills Jr. "AGWA's participation as an Affiliate will allow us to work closely together to combine individual successes to achieve even higher goals."
"Groundwater knows no boundaries," added Mills. "Whether it's Canada, Mexico, or the United States, we can all learn how to protect one of our most precious resources ... our underground water supply."