Extra Rain Means Savings for District
An extra 5.7 billion gallons of water left by recent storms will save the Orange County Water District about $4 million.
Instead of sending the fresh water stored behind Prado Dam into the ocean, officials said the water district was given permission this week to store the water and allow it to percolate or sink into Orange County’s huge ground water basin.
In an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the water district will be able to store 8.4 billion gallons behind Prado Dam. The space previously was limited to 2.7 billion gallons.
The increased water storage agreement will run annually from March 1 to Aug. 30.
The savings will help prevent rate hikes as the population grows and water costs increase, spokesman Ron Wildermuth said.
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