Consideration of Certification on June 21 at 7:30 a.m.
Santa Margarita Water District
26111 Antonio Parkway
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

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 What’s included in the Final EIR?

• Text revisions to the Draft EIR
• Responses to comments

The lead agency is responsible for sending written responses to the commenting agencies at least 10 days prior to certification. Commenting agencies were notified via mail by May 24, 2019.

What’s next?
Once the lead agency, Santa Margarita Water District, approves the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), it is certified. The agency must file a Notice of Determination (NOD) within five days of approval and have it post with the county clerk and State Clearinghouse for at least 30 days.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is a critical component and major accomplishment. The EIR is required prior to building the project. It is estimated that Phase 1 of the project could begin in 2020.

What’s an EIR?
Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), public agencies are charged with the duty to avoid or substantially lessen significant environmental impacts of a project where feasible. For the San Juan Watershed Project, this process is undertaken through an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), an assessment that identifies any potentially significant impacts of a proposed project on the environment. The EIR indicates the manner in which those significant impacts can be avoided or significantly lessened; identifies any significant and unavoidable adverse impacts that cannot be mitigated; and identifies reasonable and feasible alternatives to the proposed project that would eliminate any significant adverse environmental impacts or reduce the impacts to a less-than significant level.

Sign up for email updates to be notified of when the Final Draft EIR is available online: http://sanjuanwatershed.com.

That’s because the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) is set to be circulated soon. This will give residents and ratepayers the opportunity to review the potential environmental impacts and any needed mitigation. It’s also an important next step in the project’s approval process.

The project is intended to take advantage of underutilized water resources, such as excess stormwater during rainstorms, by capturing water in the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks and storing it in the underground San Juan Groundwater basin. Later, the water is pumped out of the basin, treated and included as a part of SMWD’s water supplies.

Phase 1 of the project installs rubber dams in the designated locations along the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. The dams are inflated when water is present, slowing the flow and allowing the San Juan Groundwater Basin to absorb the water. The absorption process also provides natural water treatment and filtration, although water pumped from the basin undergoes additional chemical treatment before being introduced into our water supply. During heavy rains, the rubber dams are deflated, preventing flooding in adjacent communities. Phase 1 is expected to cost around $21 million to complete.

Once the DEIR is available to the public, the SMWD Board of Directors will hold a public hearing to receive public input on the project and the document. The DEIR is expected to be available for public review for 60 days after publication.

If approved, Phase 1 of the project could begin construction in 2018, benefiting our customers starting in 2019.

A number of agencies are partnering to make this project a reality, including Santa Margarita Water District and the South Coast Water District. It is expected that the County of Orange, several south OC cities, Caltrans, OCTA, the US Dept. of Interior and the California Dept. of Water Resources may also play important roles.

To get more information, go to www.sanjuanwatershed.com, or follow Santa Margarita Water District on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up for updates on the project at http://sanjuanwatershed.com/connect/.

Watch this video to see how each of the project’s three phases will work.

Brandt has over 30 years of water agency leadership experience that will help him to build on the Authority’s successes, collaborate with other water agencies, organizations, and the community in a holistic watershed management approach.  Some of his past inter-agency watershed efforts included wetland treatment systems for urban runoff, groundwater management and governance, recycled water expansion, and regional stormwater quality programs.

“We have valuable water here in the San Juan Creek watershed.  We look forward to having an Administrator who can focus their attention on expanding our watershed management by working together.  That should lead to more local drinking water and healthier creeks and beaches,” said Betty Olson, San Juan Basin Authority Chairperson.

Brandt is a licensed civil engineer, with a BS in Agricultural Engineering, an MS in Engineering, and an MA in Communications.  The appointment takes effect immediately.

Brandt is being handed the reigns by Dan Ferons, PE, who’s full-time job is General Manager of Santa Margarita Water District. Ferons has led the San Juan Basin Authority on a part-time basis for several years as the consortium of water agencies has developed forward-thinking plans for collaboratively managing the San Juan Creek groundwater basin and the watershed above it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE

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San Juan Basin Authority is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) among the City of San Juan Capistrano, Moulton Niguel Water District, Santa Margarita Water District, and South Coast Water District.  Since its formation in 1971, it has provided a collaborative platform for the development, management, and protection of critical local water resources within the 175-square-mile San Juan Creek watershed in southern Orange County.

The San Juan Watershed Project held its Public Scoping Meeting on Thursday, January 12, 2017.
Nearly 50 residents and stakeholders were in attendance at the meeting. The project proposes a 2.8 billion-gallon local, reliable water supply for South Orange County residents.

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, click here to view the presentation video.

The project team is made up of representatives from the Santa Margarita Water District and the South Coast Water District.

The recent rainstorms made the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks picturesque for the project tours hosted by the Santa Margarita Water District last week. Potential project beneficiaries caught a quick pedicab ride to the confluence of the two creeks, near the proposed locations of the rubber dams in Phase 1. Guests gained a better understanding of project specifics, impacts and benefits, while enjoying the ambiance. 

The San Juan Watershed Project held its Public Scoping Meeting earlier this month, with nearly 50 residents and stakeholders in attendance. The project proposes a 2.8 billion-gallon local, reliable water supply for South Orange County residents.  

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, click here to view the presentation.

The project team will incorporate public comments in plans to study the environmental impacts of the proposed project, with an EIR expected later this year. Residents can continue to offer comments ahead of the EIR until February 2, 2017. Send comments to Tom Barnes, environmental consultant for the project, via email at tbarnes@esassoc.com or mail to Tom Barnes, ESA, 626 Wilshire Blv., Ste. 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90017. 

 The project team is made up of representatives from the Santa Margarita Water District and the South Coast Water District.

Nearly 50 residents and stakeholders were in attendance at the meeting. The project proposes a 2.8 billion-gallon local, reliable water supply for South Orange County residents.

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, click here to view the presentation video.

The project team will incorporate public comments in plans to study the environmental impacts of the proposed project, with an EIR expected later this year. Residents can continue to offer comments ahead of the EIR until February 2, 2017. Send comments to Tom Barnes, environmental consultant for the project, via email at tbarnes@esassoc.com or mail to Tom Barnes, ESA, 626 Wilshire Blv., Ste. 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90017.

The project team is made up of representatives from the Santa Margarita Water District and the South Coast Water District. To learn more about the proposal and how it could provide a local, reliable drinking water supply, go to www.sanjuanwatersheds.com.

SMWD, in conjunction with South Coast Water District, has published a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of the EIR that includes a description of the proposed project and its probable environmental effects. The project is an integrated water resources management plan that would develop facilities intended to maximize beneficial uses of the San Juan Groundwater Basin. The project aims to optimize recharge and storage capacity of the San Juan Groundwater Basin to support groundwater production.

The NOP is available for at SMWD’s offices or here online. The NOP will be circulated for a 63-day period that begins December 1, 2016 and ends February 2, 2017. SMWD is soliciting the views of interested persons and agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental information to be evaluated in the EIR.

The public and interested parties are invited to submit comments to:

Tom Barnes
626 Wilshire Boulevard
Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90017or email
tbarnes@esassoc.com
DOWNLOAD N.O.P.

A public scoping meeting will be held to receive public comments and
suggestions. The scoping meeting will be open to the public on Thursday, January
12, 2017, at 6:00 PM at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, located at
25925 Camino Del Avion, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

To view and read public comments submitted by interested parties CLICK HERE.