Orange County, CA – Tuesday, November 4, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between O C Waste & Recycling (OCWR) and South Coast Water District (SCWD) to explore delivering renewable electricity from the Prima Deshecha Landfill to SCWD’s planned Doheny Ocean Desalination Project - a drought-resilient, locally controlled drinking water supply for South Orange County. The MOU enables a Renewable Energy to Desalination Exploratory Task Force and a Phase 3 workplan to evaluate technology, grid delivery, funding, governance, and schedule. The MOU is non-binding and commits both agencies to due diligence, not to a specific project.
“Nearly 90% of South County’s water comes from imported water supply. If that supply faced interruption due to a natural disaster, the region would only have 10-20 days of potable water supply available,” said Vice Chair Katrina Foley. “This partnership allows us to turn excess landfill gas into clean energy to power the Doheny Desalination Plant, addressing two environmental challenges with one solution. It strengthens our local water supply, reduces dependence on imported water, and builds regional resilience during emergencies.”
“OC Waste & Recycling seeks long-term sustainable County services using all resources available, including landfill gas to renewable energy,” said Tom Koutroulis, Director, OC Waste & Recycling. “This unique partnership offers an environmentally responsible path towards creating access to an innovative and resilient local water supply, a worthwhile effort to provide stability for future generations,” he added.
Under the MOU, OCWR and SCWD will jointly study how electricity generated from landfill gas at Prima Deshecha using modern energy-recovery technology could help power the Doheny facility. The Joint Task Force Report prepared for OCWR identifies multiple power-delivery pathways (including a structured arrangement with SDG&E or a community choice aggregator, Direct Access/ESP procurement, and the Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer program) and indicates that leveraging the mutual benefits of both projects could meet Doheny’s cost objectives while covering OCWR’s production costs.
Customer benefits
Reliability: A local, baseload renewable source can complement Doheny’s steady operations profile.
Cost stability: Life-cycle analysis in the report shows favorable $/kWh ranges for candidate technologies, supporting long-term price stability.
Sustainability: Using landfill gas for power is Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS)-eligible (meets policy that requires electricity providers to procure a minimum percentage of power from renewable energy sources) and reduces flaring, aligning with regional climate goals.
“Today’s approval opens the door for a smart, local pairing with renewable energy from Prima Deshecha supporting local drought-resilient water from the Doheny Project,” said Scott Goldman, President, SCWD Board of Directors. “Our focus is reliability and value for customers. Phase 3 will give us concrete options to stabilize power costs, reduce emissions, and deliver 5 MGD of local water supply that South County can count on.
Next steps
The Task Force will initiate Phase 3 activities, including verification of capacity needs, technology selection, utility coordination, selection of a transmission/contracting pathway, detailed financial pro-forma, funding strategy, permitting plan, governance, and implementation schedule. Findings will be returned to the SCWD Board of Directors and the Orange County Board of Supervisors for any future approvals.
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OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) serves the County’s solid waste disposal needs through resource recovery, operating public landfills, protecting the local environment, investing in renewable energy enterprises and promoting recycling to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations. The department manages one of the nation's premier solid waste disposal systems and three composting greenery sites, all serving residents and businesses in the County’s 34 cities and its unincorporated areas. OCWR’s three active landfills and compost greeneries reflect environmental engineering at its best. Learn more by visiting the OCWR website at www.OCLandfills.com.
South Coast Water District (SCWD) provides potable water, recycled water, and wastewater services to approximately 40,000 residents, 1,000 businesses, and 2 million visitors per year in south Orange County, California. SCWD's service area, divided into five districts, includes the communities of Dana Point, South Laguna Beach, and areas of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. A five-member elected Board of Directors oversees SCWD’s policymaking, financial stewardship, rate-setting, capital programs, and long-term planning. Learn more at SCWD’s website at SCWD.org.
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