Last Monday, The AP Environmental Science class went on a class field trip to the Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), two of the most efficient sanitation and water districts in the world.
Although both of these facilities are just 
minutes away from the school, it was the school’s first time going on a tour of these buildings and their functions.
The class was taken on two different tours: one of the sanitation district and one of the water district. The former is where waste water is first collected and cleaned, and the latter is where some of that treated water goes to be cleaned even further.Waste water is purified to reusable water at both the sanitation district and the water district. After it has been cleaned, the treated water from the sanitation district is sent either to the water district or to pipes that flow into the ocean in a completely environmentally friendly way. After it has been further treated, the purified water from the water district is pumped back underground to be used again later by people and to refill the supply.Both of the facilities go to great lengths to ensure that the residents of Fountain Valley do not notice their existence by installing high-tech soundproof walls and by constantly regulating the smells of their work. However, the residents’ unawareness of the districts is quite a misfortune because both districts are world renowned for their innovative technology. Many countries, such as Singapore, use these buildings and their advancements as their benchmark for their sanitation and water districts.
The water district plant is even working on expansion. It is currently producing 70 million gallons of drinkable water from waste water everyday. Within a few years they will be able to treat 100 million gallons of water everyday.
While the AP Environmental Science students were lucky enough to take tours of the remarkable OC Sanitation District and OC Water District, many people are completely oblivious to the groundbreaking technologies of these plants. Right in the backyards of many people, history is being made unnoticed.
Photographed By Steven Pham
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