On May 5, 2023, the City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency was awarded $5,998,268 from the Department of Water Resources’ Proposition 1 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program for the Santa Ana Zoo Stormwater Capture and Diversion (SAZSCAD) project and New Washington Well project. Proposition 1 IRWM funding is intended to improve regional water self-reliance security and adapt to the effects on water supply arising out of climate change.
The SAZSCAD project features the installation of a large underground stormwater infiltration system underneath the parking lot at the Santa Ana Zoo. The system will be designed to capture approximately 67 acre-feet per year of stormwater runoff and infiltrate it back into the ground. Stormwater infiltration enhances our local water supplies, improves water quality in our watersheds, and reduces flooding. The project also includes the transformation of a portion of the Zoo parking lot into a new urban green space with seating, pedestrian pathways, drought tolerant landscaping, and interpretive signage. The project will provide significant environmental benefits and further advances the City’s strategy of viewing stormwater as a resource. Final design of the project is anticipated to be complete in fall 2024. Construction is anticipated to start in winter 2025 and take approximately one year to complete.
The New Washington Well project features construction of a new groundwater well. The construction involves drilling a new well and equipping it with piping, electrical equipment, and a new building. The well provides City residents an additional source of local water supply from the groundwater basin, which improves the City’s long-term resiliency from drought and reliance on imported water. The new well will also greatly improve any low-pressure deficiencies in the surrounding area, as well as ensure that residents have reliable, high quality water for years to come. The project has already begun construction and is anticipated to be complete by winter of 2024.
For additional information about the City’s stormwater program, please visit: https://www.santa-ana.org/stormwater-management/