Feb. 18, 2002 -- The first construction project of the Orange County, CA, Groundwater Replenishment System was recently completed under budget at a cost of $1,432,840, representing a 6% savings or $89,881.
The GWR System is a water purification project jointly sponsored by the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District.
The 2,200 foot, 66-inch diameter pipeline was installed on the west side of the Santa Ana River under the parking lot of the Theodore Lacy Jail in Orange. Made of cement mortar-lined and coated steel, each section of pipe was 40 feet long and weighed 23,000 pounds.
Once completed the GWR System will provide a new source of water for northern Orange County residents beginning in 2005. The system will take highly treated sewer water from the Orange County Sanitation District, and purify it to meet drinking water standards. Using high-tech processing, the system will treat the sewer water with 100% reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ultraviolet disinfection. Some of the water will be injected underground near the coast to keep salt water from contaminating the fresh water in the Orange County basin. The remaining water will be transported through a 13-mil pipeline to a percolation pond in northern Orange County. There the water will be filtered again as it seeps into the ground and enters the county's deep aquifers to become part of the future supply of drinking water.
Future construction of the GWR System includes demolition of the existing Water Factory 21 water purification facility in Fountain Valle; construction of a new membrane water treatment facility; drilling new injection wells and construction of a pump station to move water up the 13-mile pipeline to the aquifer recharge facilities.
