Published: Jun 28, 2013 | 21:09 PM

Irvine Ranch Water District: Looking Ahead to the Future

Irvine Ranch Water District is dedicated to strategically planning for the future. Since our formation 50 years ago, we’ve anticipated and met the water supply needs of our service area. IRWD incorporates fiscal prudence, careful forecasting and continual development of new water resources into our long-term planning.

“Providing a safe and reliable water supply for our customers has always been and always will be our highest priority,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Cook. “Anticipating ways to meet our customers’ water needs during fires, floods, earthquakes and other water-related emergencies also plays a crucial role.”

Currently, IRWD is in the planning stages of the Syphon Reservoir Recycled Water Storage Project. Syphon Reservoir is a 60-year-old facility currently used to store irrigation water supplies. The two components of the project are conversion of the reservoir to seasonal storage for IRWD recycled water and augmenting the reservoir’s capacity. When complete, Syphon Reservoir will allow IRWD to utilize 100 percent of its recycled water.

Another upcoming project, which focuses on increased water reliability for south Orange County, is the proposed Baker Water Treatment Plant in Lake Forest. This project will be constructed at the existing Baker Filtration Plant and is intended to increase local treatment capability for multiple water supply sources, including imported water and local surface water from Irvine Lake.

The project will help provide reliable local drinking water supplies in the event of an emergency, or scheduled maintenance on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Diemer Filtration Plant, Lower Feeder Pipeline, or Allen-McColloch Pipeline. IRWD will partner with El Toro Water District, Moulton Niguel Water District, Santa Margarita Water District and Trabuco Canyon Water District.

The Baker plant currently provides filtered well water which supplements the IRWD recycled water system. Operation of the existing plant will be discontinued after the implementation of the proposed project.

The Baker Water Treatment Project will also include a new offsite pump station near Peters Canyon Reservoir. This project is currently in design, with construction to begin some time next year.

For more information on IRWD construction projects, please check our website.