Groundwater Replenishment System

PORTION OF THE WEST SIDE OF THE SANTA ANA RIVERBED TRAIL CLOSED

Students and School Teams Should Use The East Side of The Riverbed Trail

For Recreational and Training Purposes

WHAT: Pipeline installation for a new water purification project has begun in your area. For safety purposes, the pedestrian and equestrian trail located on the west side of the riverbed has been closed between Garfield Avenue in Fountain Valley to 17th Street in Santa Ana.

Students and school teams should avoid the construction zone on the west side of the Santa Ana Riverbed and use the east side of the riverbed for recreational and training purposes.

WHEN: It is anticipated the trail closure will last until Summer 2006. Please be aware that this timeframe may change due to inclement weather or other unforeseen operational factors.

WHERE: Construction work is underway on the west side of the Santa Ana River from Garfield Avenue in Fountain Valley to 17th Street in Santa Ana.

WHY: Construction is taking place as part of the Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System project. As a new water supply for Orange County, the GWR System will provide enough water to meet the annual needs of 144,000 families when the project goes on line in 2007. Orange County's current water supply is made up of about 50 percent groundwater and 50 percent imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California.

WHO: The Orange County Water District is working on the Groundwater Replenishment System project to improve water quality and reliability in Orange County.

The safety and welfare of our residents is a priority for all of us. For more information regarding construction activity in your area, please contact Jill DeCriscio, community liaison, at (714) 633-0093. You may also call our Construction Hotline at (714) 378-8243 or visit the Web site home page

Thank you and we appreciate your patience during construction.

Groundwater Replenishment System construction alerts are provided by the Orange County Water District to inform residents and businesses of project work occurring in their neighborhoods.

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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.

Orange County Water District is a special district that was created by the California State Legislature in 1933 to maintain and manage the groundwater basin under northern and central Orange County. OCWD’s groundwater basin supplies 75% of the water needs in Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, 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.

Orange County Sanitation District is the third largest wastewater treatment system west of the Mississippi River, serving 2.2 million residents in northern and central Orange County.