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WATER PIPELINE PROJECT ONE STEP CLOSER TO COMPLETION
Pipeline will be the major vehicle for delivering a new, high-quality water supply to Orange County
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – Orange County Water District (OCWD) completed the first of three segments of a 13-mile pipeline that will connect a new state-of-the-art water purification facility in Fountain Valley to an existing percolation pond in Anaheim. The pipeline is part of the Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, an innovative water purification project designed to provide a new supplemental source of high-quality water for north and central Orange County residents.
The GWR System will take highly treated sewer water that is currently released into the ocean and – using the same technologies that purify baby food, medicines and bottled water – create a new supply of high-quality water. Half of the new water will be used in a seawater intrusion barrier, which stops seawater from contaminating the groundwater basin, and half will be pumped through the pipeline to Anaheim where it will be emptied into one of OCWD’s percolation ponds. All the new water will be further filtered and purified through the ground, following the same natural pathway that rainwater takes to reach the groundwater supply.
The pipeline, which will eventually transport an average of 35 million gallons of purified water per day, was constructed under an existing regional riding and hiking trail on the west bank of the Santa Ana River. The completed segment of the pipeline project consists of approximately 21,000 linear feet, or four miles, of 60 and 66-inch diameter cement-mortar-lined-and-coated steel pipe from Katella Avenue to OCWD’s percolation pond in the city of Anaheim.
“We are extremely pleased with the progress of this project,” said Phil Anthony, board president for OCWD. “This segment of the pipeline was completed under budget and nine months ahead of schedule minimizing the potential inconvenience to the local community.”
This northern one-third of the pipeline is expected to be complete by the end of August. The entire 13-mile pipeline is scheduled for completion in mid to late 2006. The GWR System will begin delivering water via the pipeline in 2007. Both the pipeline and the purification plant are designed to handle additional purified water if it is needed in the future to meet Orange County’s water supply needs.
The GWR System project will help increase water reliability in Orange County. It will also help improve the overall water quality in the groundwater basin by reducing the mineral content and preventing ocean water contamination. Additionally, it will provide a reliable locally controlled supply of water during droughts, which can be recurring events in Southern California.
The project is a joint effort by Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District.
The Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System, a new high-tech water purification system, will produce water similar in quality to bottled water. GWR System water will be used to service a larger, expanded seawater barrier and to help drought-proof Orange County's groundwater basin by providing better water reliability and more local control over part of our water future.
Since 1933, the Orange County Water District (OCWD) has been investing in water reliability through the management and protection of Orange County’s large groundwater basin. Orange County is an arid region, far from needed imported water sources, and subject to reoccurring droughts. The groundwater managed by OCWD provides a locally controlled, reliable and high quality water supply to Orange County’s prosperity and continued development. OCWD is a special district, separate from the County of Orange, that supplies more than half of the water needs for 2.3 million residents in the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda. To learn more about Orange County’s water reliability, log on to www.ocwd.com.
The Orange County Sanitation District is responsible for safely collecting, treating, and disposing wastewater. It is a special district, separate from the County of Orange or any city government, established under the State Health and Safety Code, to provide sewerage service to a specific geographic area. The Orange County Sanitation District is governed by a 25-member board of directors comprised of representatives of each local sewering agency or cities within our 470-square-mile service area. For more information, visit the Web site at www.ocsd.com.
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