Orange County Water District Announces Election of Officers to Its Board of Directors.

Business Editors

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2002

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) recently elected the officers to serve on its Board of Directors for 2002.

For the second year in a row, Jerry A. King was elected president; Kathryn L. Barr was elected first vice-president and Lawrence P. Kraemer, Jr. was elected second vice-president. The new positions resulted from unanimous votes by the OCWD Board of Directors during its meeting on Dec. 19, 2001.

King has served on the OCWD board since 1998, representing Division 5, which includes Irvine, Tustin, and Newport Beach. King is currently a Board Member for Region 10 of the Association of California Water Agencies and Chairman of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA).

SAWPA -- a joint powers agency composed of five major water agencies that share the Santa Ana River -- was formed in 1972 to plan and build facilities to protect water quality in the Santa Ana River watershed. King has also been a four-term member of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Barr has served on the OCWD board since 1979, representing Division 1, which includes Garden Grove, Stanton, and Westminster. Barr was a member of the Garden Grove City Council from 1962-1970, and from 1974-1978. She has served as member and chairman of Garden Grove's Redevelopment Agency and as a member of the Orange County Vector Control District's Board of Trustees. Barr was named Garden Grove Woman of the Year in 1976 and Cypress College Community Leader of the Year in 1980. Most recently Barr was recognized as a distinguished honoree by the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce at a reception saluting community leaders.

Kraemer has served on the OCWD board since 1978, representing Division 3, which includes Buena Park, La Palma, Placentia, Yorba Linda, and Cypress. Kraemer, a citrus farmer, has been a director on the Placentia Fruit Exchange and the Yorba Orange Growers Association Packing House. Kraemer is also the Executive Chairman of FKC Partners.

Orange County Water District is a special agency that was created by the California State Legislature in 1933 to maintain and manage the groundwater basin under northern and central Orange County. OCWD's groundwater basin supplies 75% of the water needs in Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington and Newport Beach, Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.