Inflatable Rubber Dams Capture Storm Water Runoff

Nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif., the Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) of Orange County worked to launch the San Juan Watershed project with the goal of providing 2.8 billion gal of water to the county. Still in the planning phase, the project involves incorporating inflatable rubber dams at the junction of the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. The dams would serve to capture excess storm water runoff during the rainy seasons to store for later use.

During rainfall, the dams would be inflated, which would cause the storm water runoff to slow and seep into the San Juan Basin. This process would naturally filter the water stored in the basin and the SMWD would additionally treat the water chemically before entering the water distribution system.

Currently, 80%of water to the region is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River, 15% is recycled wastewater, and 5% is local groundwater, according to the Orange County Register. While the SMWD still needs to present an environmental report Jan. 30 at a public meeting before receiving approval to commence construction in the spring, the water district is hopeful the project could provide enough water to serve 25,000 families for a year.