How Will Irvine Company Plans affect local water quality?
Today, some 90 percent of the rainwater that falls on the natural landscape slated to become Santiago Hills II is absorbed. Only about 10 percent runs off into surrounding streams and lakes. When paved over with streets, driveways and rooftops, those percentages are reversed. Ninety percent of the stormwater will flow off of the hillsides into lower elevation waterways. This now-urban runoff will contain pesticides, fertilizers, trash and other detritus. And this additional unabsorbed runoff will be joined by the day-to-day water waste from housing development residents -- garden sprinklers, car washing, hosing down walkways and driveways and other normal drainage.
Where will this additional runoff go?
Runoff from the Santiago Hills II development will, according to Irvine Company plans, funnel into Irvine Lake via Santiago Creek and into Handy Creek from Peters Canyon Reservoir. Some of runoff can be diverted from Peters Canyon into San Diego Creek, a county waterway that drains into the Newport Back Bay. Because the Back Bay has been designated an “impaired” waterway, the quality of all flows into it are heavily regulated. It is no surprise that the Irvine Company has chosen to channel most of the Santiago Hills II runoff in the other direction – Handy Creek.
The Environmental Impact Report stated that this increased flow would not have any substantial impact on water quality. After the report was filed, concerned citizens met with the Irvine Company in hopes of getting some assurance that water quality would be addressed. The developer responded with a filtration plan that, if implemented, would in fact, minimize water pollution and flooding from the development.
The development plans approved by the city of Orange, however, did not contain any concrete mitigation plans for runoff. The Irvine Company has “promised” it will consider water quality issues during construction, but, with the project’s approval there is nothing compelling it to do so.
What does that mean to residents?
Despite “promises” that excess water would not drain into an already maximized Handy Creek, that’s exactly where it will go. The Irvine Company claims it is Orange Park Acre’s responsibility to improve the flood channel and does not consider itself accountable for any erosion damage or pollution. Irvine Lake, a source of drinking water, is also threatened. The developer has proposed a number of filtration systems, but asserts that they would be the responsibility of Santiago Hills II homeowners associations.
An assurance by the Irvine Company that everything will be all right is not good enough. Once this tract is built, Handy Creek will be overburdened, Peters Canyon Reservoir will endure more pollutants and Irvine Lake will lack sufficient filtration systems. We must ensure that the developer mitigates these problems NOW. Later, it won’t have to.