Woodard & Curran prides itself on developing long-standing partnerships with our public and private clients across the country. One such example is our decades-long collaboration with Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), during which time we have provided water, wastewater, and recycled water planning and design services. The district’s annual recognition program has named industry partners as Supplier of the Year for their work supporting EMWD’s mission to deliver services to nearly one million people living and working within a 682-square mile area in western Riverside County and northern San Diego County. This year, EMWD added a Consultant of the Year award, naming Woodard & Curran as the recipient.
“We are very honored to accept the Eastern Municipal Water District’s Consultant of the Year award,” said CEO Alyson Watson during the November 19 Board of Directors meeting. “This award is a powerful affirmation of our partnership and demonstrates what’s possible when two organizations partner on a strategic, shared vision.”
“Woodard & Curran has been a partner with EMWD for two decades. They provide environmental and hydrogeological services. But today, we specifically want to recognize them for their support as one of our grant application consulting firms,” said EMWD Purchasing and Contracts Manager Cynthia Carbajal, CPSM, while presenting the award. “Their expertise and innovative approach have helped EMWD secure over $230 million in grants and low interest loans. Most notably, their work on the purified water replenishment project, where we are set to secure funding that will roughly cover two-thirds of the total project cost, makes it the single largest externally funded capital improvement project in EMWD’s history.”
Woodard & Curran’s fiscal solutions team has supported EMWD’s funding pursuits for groundwater, drought and conservation, and recycled water, including a current application for $30 million in funding for advanced water purification, with an additional $110 million in State Revolving Fund loans and Water Recycling Fund Program grants pending executed agreements. Woodard & Curran fiscal solutions experts are also finalizing EMWD’s External Strategic Funding Plan to guide pursuits for priority projects over the next few years.
Pictured from left, Erica Rodriquez-Duvergel (EMWD), Nicolette Jonkhoff (EMWD), CEO Alyson Watson, Senior Project Manager Brian Dietrick, Client Manager Fakhri Manghi, and Matthew Bates (EMWD).
During our partnership, Woodard & Curran has supported EMWD with complex planning issues, coordination with outside agencies, and development of master plans. We have conducted groundwater modeling in the Upper San Jacinto Basin, performed the water supply analysis for the San Jacinto area, served as program manager for the Perris North Basin Groundwater Program, worked on the Recycled Water Strategic and Facilities Master Plan, provided preliminary design for the Pala Lift Station, and conducted flow monitoring studies and model calibration for the Moreno Valley and Temecula Valley areas.
More recently, Woodard & Curran has been an integral part of two critical water supply planning initiatives to secure long-term water supply reliability, including the Water Supply Strategic Plan and the Joint Agency Water Supply Concept Study. The Water Supply Strategic Plan provides EMWD with a strategy for near- and long-term water demand through the evaluation of supply options under a variety of climate, demand, and regulatory scenarios. Our team developed and evaluated multiple supply alternatives to meet forecasted demands for five service areas utilizing multiple future condition scenarios input into a GoldSim model. Through our innovative digital team, we developed and launched an Integrated Planning Tool to identify future supply alternatives with multi-phase supply and operations options that support EMWD’s decision-making across multiple organizational levels. As part of the Joint Agency Water Supply Concept Study, Woodard & Curran facilitated the coordination of four agencies with the common goal of developing new large-scale regional water supply concepts. The agencies identified 13 concepts to evaluate based on supply potential, supply reliability, independence, energy efficiency, acceptance, cost-efficiency, and funding potential. Woodard & Curran served as a liaison with EMWD’s General Manager, EMWD Board of Directors, and representatives from the other agencies to determine the top three concepts for further refinement and investigation.
“I want to thank the entire Eastern Municipal team from the operators in the field to the leaders in this room for your trust and for creating a culture where collaboration and innovation thrive,” said Watson. “We’re proud to stand beside you in your vital mission. Together, we’ll continue building solutions that ensure water resources remain safe, sustainable, and reliable for generations to come.”
