Senior Management

IRWD was established in 1961 as a California Water District under the provisions of the state of California Water Code. As a special district, IRWD is able to focus on its four primary services - providing high-quality drinking water, sewage collection and treatment, production and delivery of tertiary-treated recycled water, and urban runoff treatment. As an independent, not-for-profit public agency, IRWD is governed by a five-member publicly elected Board of Directors. Board members are elected by division for four-year terms. The Board is responsible for the District's policies and decision-making. Day-to-day operations are supervised by the General Manager and implemented by staff.

IRWD General Manager

Paul A. Cook is General Manager of Irvine Ranch Water District, which provides retail water and sewer service to more than 600,000 daytime customers in central Orange County.

Cook is a registered civil engineer with more than 30 years of experience with water and sewage systems in the public and private sectors. He joined IRWD in 2004 as Assistant General Manager and has served as General Manager since 2011, leading an organization recognized as an innovator in water quality and supply reliability. Before joining IRWD, Cook was Manager of Engineering for Central Basin Municipal Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District in Los Angeles County, where he was responsible for a capital-improvements program that included one of the largest water recycling projects in the nation. He began his career in the construction industry, building commercial and public works projects.

Cook received his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from California State University Long Beach and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. In 2002, he was elected to the Board of the Orange County Water District, where he served through 2005, including a term as Vice President. He currently serves on the board of WateReuse California and is Vice President of the California Municipal Utilities Association’s Board of Governors. He is a member and past Chair of the Chapman University Board of Governors.

Contact: 949-453-5300
Email: GenManager@IRWD.com