OCWD Management Area
• Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) 2020 Regional Urban Water Management Plan • Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) 2016 Orange County Reliability Study
6.1.2 Land Use Development and Water Demands and Supply
Water demands within the OCWD Management Area between WY1989-90 and 2020-21 have fluctuated between approximately 367,000 and 526,000 acre-feet per year but have leveled off in the past few years to approximately 400,000 acre-feet per year as shown in Figure 1-5. Since its founding, OCWD has grown in area from 162,676 to 243,968 acres and has experienced an increase in population from approximately 120,000 to 2.5 million people. OCWD has employed groundwater management techniques to increase the annual yield from the basin including operating over 1,000 wetted acres of infiltration basins. Annual groundwater production increased from approximately 150,000 acre-feet in the mid-1950s to a high of over 366,000 acre-feet in WY2007-08. OCWD strives to maximize production from the basin through maximizing recharge of the groundwater basin. The basin is managed within the established groundwater storage operating range independently of total regional water demands as total water demands are met by a combination of groundwater and imported water.
6.1.3 Well Construction, Management, and Closure
Well construction, management and closure are regulated by various state agencies. To comply with federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements regarding the protection of drinking water sources, the DDW created the Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection (DWSAP) program. Water suppliers must submit a DWSAP report as part of the drinking water well permitting process and have it approved before providing a new source of water from a new well. OCWD provides technical support to groundwater producers in the preparation of these reports. Well construction ordinances adopted and implemented by the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) and certain municipalities follow state well construction standards established to protect water quality under California Water Code Section 231. Cities within OCWD boundaries that have local well construction ordinances and manage well construction within their local jurisdictions include the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Buena Park, and Orange. To provide guidance and policy recommendations on these ordinances, the County of Orange established the Well Standards Advisory Board in the early 1970s. The five-member appointed Board includes OCWD ’s Chief Hydrogeologist. Recommendations of the Board are used by the OCHCA and municipalities to enforce well construction ordinances within their jurisdictions. A well is considered abandoned when the owner has permanently discontinued its use, or it is in such a condition that it can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This often occurs when wells have been forgotten by the owner, were not disclosed to a new property owner, or when the owner is unknown.
BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE 2022 UPDATE
Water Resource Management Programs 6-2
Appendix F - 132
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