Water Office, OCC to Display Rest of Fossils
The fossils unearthed during construction of Mesa Consolidated Water District’s new reservoir will go on permanent display at Orange Coast College and in the lobby of the water district, officials said this week.
Though they set no date for the displays, directors of the water district voted Thursday to split the collection between its own headquarters and OCC.
More than half of the fossils collected at the east Costa Mesa reservoir during excavation were lost last summer when cleaning crews accidentally threw out hundreds of specimens being stored at an elementary school.
But district officials said enough fossils, which range from 10,000 to 2 million years old, remain to build two large displays for the public.
“This is a good thing for education,” water district director Hank Panian said. “This will provide a valuable exhibit for the community about its history.”
The district will hire a paleontologist to write a narrative about the collection before the fossils go on display.
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