News

Upper Chiquita Reservoir Ready to Serve

New reservoir is one of the largest public works projects in South Orange County. Capping nearly 10 years of planning, two years of construction and three months of filling, the Upper Chiquita Reservoir is now online, providing MNWD customers an additional week of emergency water storage in the event of planned or unplanned regional supply disruptions.

The reservoir is a joint effort between MNWD, Santa Margarita Water District, South Coast Water District, and the cities of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. MNWD holds rights to 34 percent of the reservoir’s water, or approximately 83 million gallons. With a capacity of 244 million gallons, it is South Orange County’s largest domestic water storage facility.

Upper Chiquita Reservoir is located in Chiquita Canyon, north of Oso Parkway and just west of State Route 241 in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita. It was constructed by creating an earthen dam along the western edge of the canyon. This design allows the reservoir to blend into the Chiquita Canyon hillside, utilizing the natural features of the environment in ways that a steel-tank reservoir could not.

Upper Chiquita Reservoir is not joined with any natural water source, such as a stream or river, but will be filled with water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. It features an impervious floating cover, high-tech moisture sensors and other devices that constantly monitor the reservoir, allowing for up-to-the-moment detail on water levels within the structure, immediate notification of any structural irregularities or vulnerabilities, and timely diagnostics for routine maintenance.

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