Southern California faces reductions in State Water Project supply and long-term drought forecasts. Reclaiming and recycling wastewater, and desalting ocean and brackish groundwater can provide reliable alternatives to imported water to meet local supply needs. These water supplies, however, require treatment to remove and dispose of brine concentrates - or salts. The focus of this study is on evaluating brine-concentrate management and disposal alternatives, and recommending solutions to address current and forecasted disposal needs.

To provide information about the study, and seek data that would be appropriate to include in this study, a series of public meetings have been scheduled in the Southern California region.

Members of the public, organizations, and agencies that have an interest in this study are invited to attend. An overview of the study will be given at each meeting, and feedback sought from those attending.

Meeting dates, locations, and time are noted below:

November 14, 2008

Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority building, 11615 Sterling Ave in Riverside from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

December 2, 2008

San Diego County Water Authority, 4677 Overland Avenue, San Diego, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

December 4, 2008

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Room US2-456, 700 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

December 11, 2008

South Orange County Wastewater Authority, 34156 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Reclamation will also accept written comments on the proposed project, or accept requests from individuals who wish to be placed on a project mailing list. Written comments or requests may be sent to Greg Krzys, Bureau of Reclamation, Southern California Area Office, 27708 Jefferson Ave., Suite 202, Temecula, CA 92590. Mr. Krzys can also be contacted by telephone at (951) 695-5310, or by email at: gkrzys@lc.usbr.gov.