To be sure recycled water is available when customers need it, IRWD relies on four seasonal-storage reservoirs.
1 billion gallons
250 million gallons
174 million gallons
Reservoirs are pumped full of water from IRWD’s recycling plants during the cooler, wetter winter months when irrigation demands are low. The water is stored there, and then withdrawn in the summer when demand is high. The reservoirs feature dams, which are inspected regularly and certified safe. Below is a look at each of IRWD’s four recycled water reservoirs.
Built in 1966, the San Joaquin Reservoir originally was used as a drinking water reservoir by seven cities and water districts. After quality regulations were enacted prohibiting the storage of drinking water in an open reservoir, the facility sat empty from 1994 through 2004.
IRWD bought the facility, and after a year-long conversion project, began filling it with recycled water in December 2004. A rededication ceremony was held in February 2005.
This reservoir provides a billion gallons of seasonal storage for recycled water. The water is used for landscape irrigation and commercial needs in Irvine, Newport Coast, and parts of Newport Beach. [Map]
Syphon Reservoir in northern Irvine began operations in 1949, storing water for agricultural irrigation. IRWD bought the reservoir in 2010 and by 2015 integrated it into its recycled water system as a small seasonal storage facility, with a capacity of 188 million gallons (578 acre-feet). An improvement project to upgrade and expand the reservoir nearly ninefold has been approved by the IRWD Board of Directors. Once complete, it will hold 1.6 billion gallons (5,000 acre-feet). The additional storage will allow IRWD to recycle 100% of the sewage we collect and reduce the region’s dependence on imported water. [Map]
Sand Canyon Reservoir, adjacent to the Strawberry Farms Golf Club near the I-405 freeway, is used for both seasonal and operational storage. The reservoir has a surface area of 42 acres, an average depth of 18 feet, and a storage capacity of 768 acre-feet — 250 million gallons. The watershed area is 6.7 square miles (4,288 acres). [Map]
Rattlesnake Reservoir was formerly used to supply water for agricultural irrigation. Now a recycled water storage reservoir, it retains and effectively treats most dry- and wet-weather flows. [Map]
