Unhealthy Wells

Orange County has closed 64 water wells due to color or the presence of various contaminants. The contaminants in these walls, most of which were old and used for agricultural purposes, included nitrates, selenium (a naturally occurring element) and synthetic compounds such as PCE AND TCE.

Many of the closures-49, or 77% of the total-occurred because of nitrates in the water, and most of them were in the Tustin and Garden Grove areas. Past agricultural uses account for the contamination, according to Jim Van Haun, spokesman for the Orange County Water District. The wells lost to selenium were in the Irvine and Fullerton areas.

And the color? The wells yielding water with unsatisfactory color were deeper, and the color was due to the presence of redwood forests that were part of the county landscape 200-250 million years ago.

To replace the water lost from these wells requires importing water, on average more than 15,000 acre-feet per year, with by far the largest shares to replace being those wells that were closed because of color and nitrate problems.

Reason for Shutting Wells Nitrates: 77% Selenium: 11% Color: 9% PCE/TCE: 3% Average Annual Increase in Import Demand Below is the cause of the increase and the amount of additional water needed annually PCE/TCE: 1,000 acre-feet Selenium: 1,500 acre-feet Color: 6,000 acre-feet Nitrates: 7,000 Note: An acre-foot is a standard measure of quantity equal to the amount it would take to cover an acre of ground with one foot of water. It equals 43,560 cubic feet, or 326,000 gallons. Source: Orange County Water District