“If we got cut off from imported water, we could provide all the indoor water and firefighting supplies” from local sources, said district general manager Dan Ferons at Friday’s dedication. Reaching that 30% goal would be particularly important during drought or events like earthquakes that interrupt imported flows. But the new groundwater access in San Juan Capistano and Rancho Mission Viejo is also a component, as is a stormwater-capture plan. To reach the goal of having 30% of the district’s potable water produced locally, the recycled water pumped into the groundwater basin may prove the biggest source. Alternative desalination project to be studied for Doheny beach.

EPA chief’s Orange County speech touts plans, draws criticism.Faster transition to electric vehicles needed, Lung Association says.Newsom signs law keeping San Onofre beach off limits to toll road.Support of Poseidon’s desalination at stake in water board election.An acre foot is enough for roughly eight people for a year.Īs part of its move toward more local water production, the district will also begin operating San Juan Capistrano groundwater wells as part of its negotiated takeover of that city’s water operations and will be begin buying groundwater from Rancho Mission Viejo, Bunts said. It would initially be expected to produce about 1,000 acre feet of potable water annually and could eventually reach as much as 5,000 acre feet per year. The water would then be pumped out, treated a final time, and put into the potable water supply.īunts said the district plans to begin introducing the treated wastewater to the groundwater basin in 2 1/2 to 3 years, and begin extracting it in 3 1/2 to 4 years. Part of its benefit will be to allow the storage of water during wet periods for later use during summer and fall months.Īfter treating the wastewater, the Santa Margarita Water District would allow it soak into the groundwater aquifer and recharge supplies there. The $109 million reservoir will hold treated wastewater for reuse and will be the largest such recycled water storage receptacle in Southern California, according to Don Bunts, the district’s deputy general manager. “Trampas Reservoir allows the district to maximize recycled use and bring us closer to zero wastewater discharge into the ocean,” said Betty Olson, president of the water district. While water may not start filling the reservoir until December, they opened the valve on Friday to spray in a few ceremonial gallons, as state, county and local officials gathered - both in person and virtually - to celebrate the dedication of what should look like a lake a year from now. That in, in turn, will provide a buffer from droughts and other circumstances that could reduce imported flows. While the district currently imports 100% of its drinking water from the Colorado River and northern California, the new Trampas Canyon Reservoir is part of a plan to generate 30% of potable water supplies locally and to recycle more wastewater. It’s still dry as dirt, but promises to be a central component of future water supplies for the 165,000 people served by the Santa Margarita Water District.

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