FOUNTAIN VALLEY

Officials with the Orange County Water District have completed a study that shows the district will be able to move Santa Ana River water from Anaheim to Santiago Creek in Orange, where it will seep into the ground-water basin. The process could save up to $750,000 worth of river water per year that is otherwise discharged into the ocean, according to the Fountain Valley-based district. The Santiago Creek Recharge study found that the creek has the capacity to save up to 3,000 acre-feet of water per year during high-water years--enough water for 15,000 Orange County residents. The study found that recharging the aquifers in Santiago Creek was effective and did not have any negative effects on subsurface conditions, including ground water quality.