Dan Ferons was appointed by the Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) Board of Directors to serve as General Manager effective July 1, 2012. SMWD is the second largest water agency in Orange County, serving approximately 200,000 customers in the communities of Mission Viejo, Coto de Caza, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Las Flores, Ladera Ranch, Talega and the new communities in Rancho Mission Viejo.
Prior to his appointment as General Manager, Mr. Ferons served as the District’s Chief Engineer since 1994. In 2008, Mr. Ferons accepted the additional duties of Director of Operations. As such, he was responsible for the District’s annual operating budget, the day-to-day function of the engineering and operations departments, and the development of the District’s infrastructure to provide water and recycled water to our customers, as well as the treatment of wastewater.
Since Mr. Ferons began his career with SMWD in 1985, the District has grown from 13,000 service connections to more than 70,000 with robust development of the water, wastewater and recycled water systems. He has overseen and managed many significant milestone projects, including the planning and construction of the Upper Chiquita Reservoir, expansion of the Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant, design and implementation of the Lake Mission Viejo Advanced Water Treatment Plant and innovative, urban return flow projects such as the Gobernadora Multi-Purpose Basin. He has also led the District’s efforts to enhance water reliability with the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project, the San Juan Basin Watershed Project and construction of the Trampas Reservoir.
Additionally, Mr. Ferons represents the District on the boards of several joint powers agencies. He is a founding member of the Community Water System Alliance formed to promote solutions for water supplies to disadvantaged communities in California. Prior to joining SMWD, Mr. Ferons was employed by several engineering consulting firms and was involved in the design of public works and preparation of development plans throughout Southern California.