OCWD Management Area
SECTION 16 EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL PROJECTS
As described in the 2017 Alternative, OCWD regularly evaluates potential projects, conducts studies and prepares reports and plans (e.g., Long Term Facilities Plan) to continue to sustainably manage the groundwater basin and advance the mission of OCWD. Described below are a few of the key projects and activities OCWD has undertaken over the last five years.
Key activities/projects that were completed in the last five years include:
• Four deep mid-basin injection wells were constructed in Santa Ana (MBI wells). The wells are injecting approximately 8-10 mgd of GWRS water into the center of the basin where groundwater levels tend to be the lowest. • Alamitos Barrier Improvement Project: 17 new injection wells were constructed at the Alamitos Seawater Barrier to reduce the spacing between wells to improve barrier performance. The additional 1.4-mgd of injection capacity has raised water levels near or at protective elevations. • Shallow geophysical exploration of the Lower Off-River Channel to characterize the shallow subsurface sediments. This data will be useful in assessing whether or not it is feasible to remove areas of fine-grained sediments to increase facility recharge rates. • Continued testing of the Riverbed Filtration System (RFS), which is a shallow underdrain system designed to filter SAR water prior to delivery to a recharge basin. Testing conducted thus far shows it has the potential to double the capacity of a receiving basin. Work is also ongoing on how to potentially expand the RFS to the main SAR channel. • Geophysical evaluation of deeper sediments in the lower SAR to assess the potential of installing a horizonal collector well (e.g., Ranney well) that would be used for recharge of GWRS water. Modeling was also conducted to assess the potential recharge capacity of a “Ranney” type well.
Key activities/projects that are underway include:
• Final expansion of the GWRS to 130 mgd capacity. This is scheduled to be complete in 2023. This project will provide OCWD 30 mgd of new water supply. • Construction of water treatment facilities at production wells currently impacted by PFAS is ongoing. This is scheduled to be complete by 2024. • Continued assessment of potential seawater intrusion in the Sunset Gap, including installation of additional monitoring wells, modeling, and feasibility studies. • Completion of the Integrated Santa Ana River Watershed Model (ISARM), which is the integration of several surface and groundwater models in the upper SAR watershed above Prado Dam. This model will assist OCWD and other upper SAR
BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE 2022 UPDATE
Evaluation of Potential Projects 16-1
Appendix F - 198
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