South East Management Area
Important Note:
For purposes of this report, the Basin 8-1 Alternative submitted on December 22, 2016, will be referred to as the 2017 Alternative. The first five-year update will be referred to as the 2022 Update for ease of reference. The 2017 Alternative was a comprehensive document showing that Basin 8-1 had been managed sustainably for more than 10 years. For the 2022 Update, the focus is on documenting that the basin has been continued to be sustainably managed during the five years since the 2017 Alternative was submitted and to present any new information from the last five years. As such, the 2017 Alternative is considered a key reference document with background information that is not duplicated in the 2022 Update. The water resources in the South East Management Area include surface water from Serrano Creek and numerous smaller tributaries, groundwater and imported water. Serrano Creek provides surface waters that flow into and/or out of the IRWD’s Lake Forest portion of the South East Management Area (Boyle, 2002). Historically, groundwater production has been a minor source of water supply for the South East Management Area and there has been no groundwater production since February 2018. Imported water received through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the primary water supply source to meet the water demands within the South East Management Area. Historically, IRWD has produced groundwater from six wells located in the city of Lake Forest. Groundwater production within the South East Management Area has historically represented less than 2 perc ent of the potable water supply for IRWD’s Lake Forest area and less than 0.2 percent of IRWD’s overall potable water supply. Due to the relatively low yield of the Aquifer in the South East Management Area, groundwater production is expected to remain a relatively insignificant water supply source for the area. None of IRWD’s six wells have been active since February 2018. At the time of the preparation of the Basin-8 Alternative, IRWD was pumping groundwater from only one active well (Well LF-2) in the South East Management Area. In early 2018, due to poor water quality of the well water, IRWD ceased well pumping and the well has been inactive since. IRWD has plans to rehabilitate Well LF-2 and resume groundwater production in the future. In addition, in February 2020, well LF-5 was destroyed due to low water production and high salinity and to also make way for a new pump station on the site where the well was located. While no plans are currently in place, placement for a potential new well was included with the pump station siting. The five remaining wells within IRWD’s Lake Forest portion of the Management Area are currently monitored for groundwater levels on a monthly basis. There are no other programs in the South East Management Area responsible for managing or monitoring groundwater resources at this time. As of the beginning of 2018, the monthly water quality monitoring of the operational well was halted temporarily due to lack of production. Sampling and water quality monitoring will resume at this well when the planned well rehabilitation project is completed. In addition, two wells are to be designated as
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BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE 2022 UPDATE
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