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Trampas Canyon Reservoir hits major milestone ahead of schedule

May 3, 2024

A “lake” has formed in south Orange County, with migrating birds resting in the cool water, deer and even the occasional mountain lion spotted along its shore.

“It really is a pretty setting,” said Donald Bunts, general manager of the Santa Margarita Water District. “The wildlife is totally enjoying it.”

Bunts and his folks are celebrating its fullness – it has for the first time reached 90% capacity – because the body of water is actually a reservoir of supply that will help irrigate surrounding communities without tapping into the drinking water the district has to purchase to meet needs.

A marker shows the water level, above sea level, in the Trampas Canyon Reservoir in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA on Friday, May 3, 2024, The lake, part of the Santa Margarita Water District, has reached 90% capacity for the first time. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Trampas Canyon Reservoir in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA, seen here on Friday, May 3, 2024, has reached 90% capacity for the first time. The lake is part of the Santa Margarita Water District. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A 216-foot high dam holds back water at the Trampas Canyon Reservoir in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA, seen here on Friday, May 3, 2024. The lake, part of the Santa Margarita Water District, has reached 90% capacity for the first time. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Aerators work at the Trampas Canyon Reservoir in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA, on Friday, May 3, 2024. The lake, part of the Santa Margarita Water District, has reached 90% capacity for the first time. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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“Any drop we are able to use from (the Trampas Canyon Reservoir) lets us save a drop of imported drinking water,” Bunts said. “It is an absolute one-for-one benefit.”

The water is treated wastewater, turning what would have been flushed away during the winter months into a resource for watering street medians, golf courses and other community assets during the hot summer months.

And all that treated water captured in the Trampas reservoir didn’t go into the ocean, Bunts added.

The last two wet winters helped top off the reservoir sooner than expected because irrigation went way down, Bunts said, but when it gets drained down to meet summer landscaping needs, that’s going to be OK because that has always been the intention.

The reservoir was completed in the summer of 2020 and as of this week is holding about 1.45 billion gallons of water, district officials said. Its total capacity is about 1.6 billion, which they point out “could fill the Rose Bowl approximately 20 times over.”

The water district serves the cities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, as well as Coto de Caza, Las Flores, Ladera Ranch and other southeastern canyon communities.

“Trampas Canyon Reservoir is operating just as we envisioned,” the water district’s board president, Saundra Jacobs, said in a statement. “Think of it as a savings account — not for a rainy day, but for a sunny one. By storing this water now, we can utilize it for irrigation purposes instead of tapping into our drinking water reserves during the hot, dry summer months.”

And, with future advances the district is planning, the water in the Trampas reservoir is expected to ultimately be usable as a drinking supply for the public. That is probably, if all goes well, three to five years away, Bunts said.

In the meantime, the community can tour the Trampas reservoir, typically off-limits, during Saturday’s Water Festival being hosted by the district to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

“It is a beautiful body of water,” Bunts said, adding the district owns the property to the ridgeline around the reserve and it has been “dedicated to open space in perpetuity.”

The Water Festival will feature a “Star Wars” theme this year, in honor of its May 4 date, and there will be children’s activities such as pipe-building races, face painting, meeting reptiles and more.

There is the district’s WaterWorks Garden to tour, with master gardeners on hand, and presentations on worm composting and birds of prey planned. And two-hour bus tours of the district’s infrastructure, including Trampas, will be offered; reserve seats at smwd.com/222/Water-Festival.

Activities are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the district’s headquarters, 26111 Antonio Parkway, in Rancho Santa Margarita.

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Orange County Register