Recharging of groundwater

Abstract

For more than 55 years, the Orange County Water District has been responsible for the protection and management of the extensive ground water basin which lies under Orange County, California. The primary objective of the district is to provide local ground water producers a reliable, high quality ground water supply at the lowest possible cost. To this end, the district has recharged the basin with more than seven million acre-feet of water, using more than 1,600 acres of land acquired for infiltration of both local runoff and imported supplies. The district also constructed two seawater barriers, one using imported water for injection and the other a blend of ground water and highly treated wastewater. The Orange County Water District also developed progressive ground water management programs, including a replenishment assessment, for controlling basin overdraft, and a basin equity assessment to control the amount of water extracted from the basin. In addition, the district established a ground water quality protection policy that allows for positive and rapid action in dealing with ground water contamination.