News

Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s (OMWD) General Manager, Kimberly Thorner, was recognized by the WaterReuse Association of California as 2015 Recycled Water Advocate of the Year.

The award was presented to Ms. Thorner during the 2015 WateReuse California Annual Awards Breakfast this morning at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

“Water recycling and reuse are already important aspects of California’s water supply, and projects like the North San Diego County Regional Recycled Water Project and Pure Water San Diego show that they will continue to be integral to San Diego County’s future,” stated Ms. Thorner. “OMWD has been very fortunate to have a Board of Directors that has been supportive of water supply diversification efforts, and also to have partners throughout the region that have recognized the benefits of working cooperatively on reuse projects. I very much appreciate this recognition of our efforts.”

Ms. Thorner’s advocacy of water reuse began in the late 1990s as Project Manager for OMWD. OMWD and its partners pioneered a collaboration with Carlsbad Municipal Water District, Leucadia Wastewater District, and San Elijo Joint Powers Authority leading to the first regional recycled water project in San Diego County known as the North County Recycled Water Project. The venture was a success marked by receipt of $20 million in grant funding and, ultimately, the annual delivery of 15,000 acre-feet of recycled water (nearly 5 billion gallons) per year to the region’s customers.

When the statewide drought hit California in 2008, Ms. Thorner, then OMWD’s General Manager, worked to revive and expand cooperative recycled water efforts among northern San Diego County water and wastewater agencies. The 10-agency group, now known as the North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition (NSDWRC), is currently working on a collective venture termed the North San Diego County Regional Recycled Water Project. Upon completion, this project will result in production of 31,500 acre-feet (~10 million gallons) of recycled water each year, offsetting the demand for potable water and nearly doubling the coalition’s deliveries of recycled water. Under her leadership, the group has achieved nearly $5 million in grant funding via the California Department of Water Resources’ Integrated Water Resource Management (IRWM) program, and the partners continue to seek up to $50 million in federal funds to aid in the project’s construction.

One aspect of the regional project on which OMWD is currently working is the Village Park Recycled Water Project. The Village Park neighborhood of Encinitas has many greenbelts, HOA-maintained areas, and school grounds that can benefit from this drought-resistant and lower cost alternative, explains Ms. Thorner. Construction of the project will begin in early 2015 and “upon completion, is expected to offset nearly 350 acre-feet of potable water use with recycled water each year,” Ms. Thorner adds. Recycled water for the project will be supplied by San Elijo Joint Powers Authority, on which OMWD is partnering to construct the project.

Ms. Thorner also currently serves on San Diego’s Integrated Water Resource Management (IRWM) Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), shaping and developing key components of the regional IRWM Plan featuring water reuse.

Formed in 1990, the WateReuse Association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the beneficial and efficient uses of high-quality, locally produced, sustainable water sources for the betterment of society and the environment through advocacy, education and outreach, research, and membership.

Kimberly Thorner accepts the Recycled Water Advocate of the Year award from Mike Markus, President of WateReuse Association’s California Section