Syphon Reservoir project receives grant funding

Irvine Ranch Water District announced yesterday that their Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project was awarded a $12.2 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation. The grant will support a ten-fold expansion of the reservoir off Portola Parkway north of Irvine, enabling it to store more than 5,000 acre-feet of recycled water (1.6 billion gallons) for landscape irrigation and other uses.

“Right now, we cannot store all the recycled water we produce in winter,” IRWD General Manager Paul Cook explained. “The Syphon Reservoir project will give us the capacity to store all the recycled water we produce — so it’s not wasted — and so we have plenty to draw from in summer when demand is high.”

Currently, IRWD’s recycled water program accounts for 28 percent of the water delivered.

“It will take all of us, working together, to address the significant drought conditions and historically low water allocations we face,” Haaland said, praising the Syphon Reservoir project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2028. “Recycled water projects like this provide flexibility for communities and help them stretch their drinking water supplies — bolstering water resources and helping to provide clear, reliable drinking water to people throughout the U.S.”