At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, I was very pleased to receive a $25 Million check for the South Orange County Integrated Regional Watershed Management Plan (IRWMP). The $25 Million grant is allocated for seven projects, ranging from water use efficiency to recycled water pipelines to ecosystem restoration.
Attending the check presentation ceremony were San Juan Capistrano Mayor Joe Soto and Laguna Beach Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson along with representatives from the Municipal Water District of Orange County, Santa Margarita Water District, South Orange County Wastewater Authority, City of San Clemente, staff from the OC Watersheds Program, and Fran Spivey-Weber who presented the $25 Million check on behalf of the State Water Resources Control Board.
IRWMP planning is one of the most important and effective approaches to addressing our future water supply and water quality challenges. The South Orange County IRWMP represents a successful collaboration between multiple cities and agencies that embraced the IRWMP concept of Proposition 50 – the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002.
Out of 20 IRWMP grant funding proposals statewide, the South Orange County IRWMP ranked third. Tuesday’s check presentation officially recognized the hard work of the County, our South County cities, water districts and other agencies to develop the South Orange County IRWMP and secure funding for priority projects. Please be assured that the County and our partners will continue to work with the State Water Board to effectively manage South County’s watersheds and protect our precious water resources. To view photos of check presentation ceremony, please click here.
Maintenance Dredging of Dana Point Harbor
I am pleased to report the Board approved a contract to begin dredging Dana Point Harbor. More than 90,000 cubic yards of sediment will be removed within Dana Point Harbor for improved boater safety and navigation. That’s enough sediment to cover three football fields filled 5 yards deep!
I’m also pleased to announce the County will keep approximately 54,000 cubic yards of sand for local beach replenishment and beach nourishment. The sand will be deposited directly on shore at two South County locations. Baby Beach in Dana Pont Harbor will receive approximately 6,000 cubic yards of high grade sand and Capistrano Beach will receive approximately 48,000 cubic yards of the highest grade sand. Only the low grade, unusable portion of the dredge material will be disposed of at a permitted LA-3 offshore disposal site.
No Country for Old Boomers
The Board of Supervisors reviewed responses to the Grand Jury Report titled, “No Country for Old Boomers: When Orange County Baby Boomers Retire, Where Will They Live?” The Report highlighted the ever increasing Orange County senior population and questioned whether enough affordable housing is available for future needs. To view the Grand Jury Report, please click here. To view the responses to the Grand Jury Report, please click here.
AlertOC: Countywide Mass Notification System
The County of Orange has been developing a countywide mass notification system (AlertOC) for communicating information quickly to the general public during emergencies and other critical situations. The County has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with twenty-two Orange County cities, Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) and UC Irvine (UCI) for use of this system. Currently, the system is up and running with all listed and unlisted land telephone numbers programmed.
In the event of emergency, OCSD Emergency Operations Center personnel are trained to activate this “reverse 911” system. Cities participating in AlertOC include: Anaheim, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, Brea, Laguna Hills, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Lake Forest, Stanton, Costa Mesa, Los Alamitos, Tustin, Dana Point, Mission Viejo, Westminster, Fullerton, Newport Beach, Yorba Linda, Garden Grove, Orange, Huntington Beach and San Clemente.
CSUF and UCI have public safety answering points responsible for providing public protection to residents on campus and will use this system in the same way as cities. Connecting as many jurisdictions as possible to this regional system will make it easy for residents and businesses by requiring them to register their information only once. I will provide you with the website for voluntary information registration when the system goes live in August.
OCSD Katella Training Facility
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) owns and operates the County’s Katella training facility in the City of Orange, where it conducts law enforcement training activities as part of its peace officer academy programs. A number of Orange County cities that have their own police department also contract with the County and Sheriff’s Department to use this facility for their law enforcement training programs.
The Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the City of Tustin Police Department for this purpose. These contracts are typically negotiated for a 5-year period with each agency. Eight other police departments within the County also utilize this facility.
