Saving Runoff of Santa Ana River

Recently while driving along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim I was amazed to see so much water flowing toward the ocean. The heavy runoff had washed through the Orange County Water District’s sand levees, used to hold the water until it can be percolated underground to recharge the ground-water basin.

After some checking, I learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was releasing water through Prado Dam, enough water to provide the needs of about 7,000 people, or the entire community of Villa Park, for a year.

It is unconscionable that the Corps would have such disregard for the value of water in Southern California. To replace the water wasted in just one day will cost local water suppliers at least a quarter of a million dollars for imported water from either the Colorado River or Northern California--if they can get it!

When Orange County’s water agencies are desperately pursuing ways of stretching available supplies and developing programs to bring more water from distant watersheds, at considerable expense, how can our federal government possibly justify such flagrant disregard for the “free” local source?

Naturally the Corps is concerned with flood control. That is why Prado Dam was built. But, from the information I have been able to obtain, storage behind Prado Dam on Monday, April 7, was less than 3% of the reservoir’s capacity. The risks of major flooding occurring this late in the rainy season are so remote that the need for anticipated storage from future runoff could not have dictated the Corps’ decision to “dump” the water.

I hope the Corps of Engineers will adopt a much higher priority for water conservation. We can neither afford the expense, nor be assured we can even get the water, to continue to replace Santa Ana River runoff flowing through Prado Dam being lost to the ocean.

GORDON L. ELSER

Dana Point