Water district to host event for local notables

The Orange County Water District is celebrating 75 years of service to north and central county today with a special reception for the county’s movers and shakers.

Current and former water district board members, staff, local officials and water retailers will be at the district site this morning to celebrate the body that’s served Orange County cities since 1933.

As the county grew from an agricultural center to a business and industrial hub, the water district’s service base as expanded with it. Groundwater usage has more than doubled since the early years, district officials said.

The water district is responsible for the Santa Ana River and an underground water basin that spreads from Irvine to the Los Angeles County border. It provides about 70% of the water to more than 2.3 million people who live and work in the district’s zone.

— Joseph Serna