Recharge Water Sediment Removal Feasibility Study
Location
Orange County, California, USA
Client
HDR Engineering/Orange County Water District
Project Description
GSA designed and implemented a riverbed filtration passive treatment study to determine the feasibility of removing sediment from Santa Ana River water, thereby reducing clogging and maintenance in the Orange County Water District recharge basins. An unsaturated flow model was developed to assist in the design of an under-channel drain system to capture infiltrated water below the Santa Ana River channel. GSA designed an 8,000 acre-feet per year pilot test, including a monitoring system, to determine drain efficiency and provide data for model optimization. Pilot testing indicated that the under-channel drainage system is a viable technology. Demonstration project testing (15,000 acre-feet/year) is ongoing.
Project Highlights
- 8,000 acre-ft/year riverbed filtration pilot project to remove sediment and improve the water quality of effluent-dominated Santa Ana river water
- Development of unsaturated/saturated flow model to predict infiltration and subsurface flow behavior
- Monitoring to determine infiltration rates, groundwater levels and infiltrated water capture volumes
