Groundwater
Replenishment System Overview:
Two
Orange County agencies the Orange County Water District and the Orange
County Sanitation District are considering building a new water
purification facility and pipeline for a Groundwater Replenishment System.
The System, which is pending public support and federal, state and local
agency approval, would create a safe, reliable and supplemental water
supply to meet increased demands for high quality water.
Currently,
the water and sanitation districts have committed to studying the concept
as one possible solution to Orange Countys projected water shortage.
Highly treated wastewater from the Orange County Sanitation District
currently discharged into the ocean would undergo advanced water treatment
that would include microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet
disinfection. This purified water would be distilled quality and exceed
all state and federal drinking water standards.
Some
of the purified water would be pumped to spreading ponds and naturally
introduced to the groundwater basin. After traveling the same natural
filtering path rainwater takes through the ground, this water eventually
would blend into the groundwater to be extracted and made available for
everyday use, including drinking, cooking and bathing. Some water produced
by the system would protect the groundwater from seawater intrusion and a
small portion would be used for industrial applications and landscape
irrigation.
Project
benefits:
Provides safe, reliable, local water supply for groundwater replenishment,
groundwater protection from seawater intrusion, industrial uses and
landscape irrigation; reduces ocean discharges; decreases reliance on
expensive and undependable imported water purchases; and helps
drought-proof Orange County.
Construction
required:
Build 13-mile pipeline in the Santa Ana River right-of-way between
Fountain Valley and Anaheim, new injection wells and a new treatment plant
at existing Orange County Water District or Orange County Sanitation
District facilities.
Location
of construction:
Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Orange and Santa
Ana.
Agency
reviews and approvals:
More than a dozen federal, state and local agencies responsible for
health, environmental safety and water quality would review the system.
Proposed
schedule:
Proposed
schedule:
1994:
Project research began.
1999:
Complete environmental process.
2001:
Water District and Sanitation Districts vote on whether to proceed
with project design.
2004:
Phase I operational, producing 70,000 acre-feet per year.
2010:
Phase II operational, producing 95,000 acre-feet per year.
2020:
Phase III operational, producing 120,000 acre-feet per year.
Estimated
Phase I cost: $352 million, depending upon options chosen (in 2000
dollars).
Estimated
total project cost: $600 million through 2020 (in 2000 dollars).
Potential
funding sources:
A mix of federal, state and local funding is being explored. Grants of $57
million are expected, which includes $37 million from the State Water Bond
passed by California voters in March 2000.
Awards:
"1998
Planned Project of the Year" Presented by the WateReuse Association
of California.
Project
Area Facts:
Acre-foot:
Sufficient water for two families for an entire year or amount of water to
cover football field to a depth of one foot.
Project
area: 350
square miles in north and central Orange
County.
Project
area population:
2.2 million residents; 2.8 million projected
by 2020.
Current
water demand: 500,000
acre-feet per year.
Projected
water demand in 2020:
680,000 acre-feet per year.
Current
sources of water:
60 percent groundwater, 40 percent purchased water from the Colorado River
and State Water Project.
Demand
for imported water in
2020 could grow to 380,000 acre-feet per year if project is not built: a
90 percent increase over current demand.
Orange
County Water District:
Agency responsible for protecting Orange County's flow of the Santa Ana
River and for managing and protecting the Orange County groundwater basin.
Orange
County Sanitation District:
Agency responsible for collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater in
23 cities in north and central Orange County
.
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