District seeks water rights

Dave Brooks

Orange County Water District officials are working on the final

stages of a plan to secure the rights to water flowing into the Prado

Dam from the Santa Ana River.

That would mean a more secure water base for the city of

Huntington Beach, said Wes Bannister, who represents the city on the

district’s board of directors. Huntington Beach pumps about 66% of

its water from a groundwater basin supplied by the Santa Ana River.

Friday was the last day to make public comments on the project’s

environmental report, which would secure an annual 500,000 acre-feet

of water for Orange County. One acre-foot is roughly equal to an area

the size of a football field with 1 foot of water, or the water used

annually by two five-person families.

The acquisition proposal will be forwarded on to the State Water

Resources Control Board for approval.

Only about 150,000 acre-feet of water flows into the dam each

year, but the river could experience large flow after a major storm

or a boom in upstream development, water district spokesman Craig

Miller said.

Without knowing what type of development to expect, the agency has

to offer a ballpark estimate, although ideally, Miller said the

agency would like to control all water flowing into the dam. A

scheduled upgrade to the dam would allow it to hold about 300,000

acre-feet, but extra capacity water could be used to replenish the

underground aquifer, Miller said.

This is critical for cities like Huntington Beach, Bannister said,

which could face water shortages if Santa Ana River water is diverted

away from Orange County.

“The more control we have over out water, the more that allows us

to pump into the basin and the more can be used for Huntington

Beach,” he said. “There is a direct cause and effect involved.”

The recent acquisition is basically a formality to ensure that

Santa Ana water stays within Orange County. A 1969 ruling mandates

that the agency maintain control over the water flowing into the

Prado Dam, but Miller said the state board doesn’t recognize that

ruling. By securing approval from the board, the agency protects the

water in perpetuity.

“This is so that no one else can ship it outside,” Miller said.

“The likelihood that someone would come in and steal it right now is

slim, but theoretically, another entity could use the argument that

we have excess water and claim a right to its benefit.”

Water in California is generally treated as a public commodity,

said Jane Farwell, an environmental scientist with the state Water

Resources Control Board.

“According to state law, the waters of California belong to

everybody,” she said. “Water districts are required by state law to

get rights to water and must show a beneficial process.”

For the control board to approve the deal, Farwell said, the

agency must resolve all protests to the application for water rights.

The Orange County Water District has five other jurisdictions

appealing the decision, although Miller said he was optimistic those

would soon be resolved.

“Water has always been a sensitive issue in California,” Farwell

said. “As far back as 1910, they used to say ‘Whiskey is for drinking

and water is for fighting.’”