Celebrating Water Quality in OC – City by City!

Join us in celebrating our cities’ success in preventing stormwater pollution – city by city! This month, we highlight the City of Santa Ana’s Mabury Park project.

The City of Santa Ana celebrated the completion of the Mabury Park Stormwater Project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 24, 2019. Fuad Sweiss, the City’s Executive Director of the Public Works Agency, led the ceremony, while Councilmember Vicente Sarmiento highlighted the significance of the project and cut the ribbon.This project is one of several focused on reducing bacteria and other pollutants of concern in the Newport Bay Watershed.

While it may look like just pretty landscaping, the benefits are much bigger than that! The project included construction of a 7,000 sq. ft. bioretention basin that is designed to capture and infiltrate approximately 27,000 cubic feet of stormwater during a significant storm. This equates to filling up over 10 in-ground swimming pools. That’s a lot of water! During larger storms, the bioretention basin will capture stormwater runoff and use natural filtering through the soil to remove pollutants before it is released into the City’s storm drain system. Because stormwater flows to the ocean untreated, this project benefits water quality by removing stormwater and its associated pollutants from Newport Bay during storm events.

This bioretention basin is one of many BMPs (Best Management Practice) across the County that help control, treat or prevent runoff pollution. According to Craig Foster, the City’s Stormwater Program Manager, this project is the first regional stormwater infiltration BMP in the City of Santa Ana. It provides water quality benefits while also enhancing the aesthetics of the surrounding community.

Celebrating Water Quality in OC – Individual by Individual: What Can You Do?

The Mabury Park bioretention basin project was a significant step in preventing stormwater pollution at a community level. But did you know that you, too, can be part of the celebration and achieve a similar effect on your own property? Remember H₂OC is YOU! You’re a huge part of the solution to runoff pollution and play a key role in improving the quality of our waterways. Here are a couple of do-it-yourself projects that can reap big pollution prevention rewards:

• Install a Rain Garden – a rain garden is a smaller scale version of the Mabury Park BMP. Rain gardens allow runoff to be directed from your roof downspout into a landscaped area. The vegetation and rocks in the garden will slow the flow of water and allow for soil infiltration. By using native plants that are adapted to the semi-arid climate of Southern California, a rain garden will absorb pollutants, be maintained all year with minimal additional irrigation, and reduce your water bill. See our blog for more information on the benefits of rain gardens.
• Install Permeable Surfaces – these surfaces allow water to soak through and seep into the ground, which reduces water runoff and helps remove pollutants. Permeable materials include interlocking pavers, pervious asphalt, and pervious concrete. Once installed, these materials reduce flooding, recharge groundwater supplies, and prevent pollutants from getting into our waterways. Click here for more information on the installation of permeable surfaces.

Let’s all share in our collective success in preventing stormwater pollution. Come celebrate alongside the OC community and City of Santa Ana and see the actual project for yourself at Mabury Park. And help us share in your individual successes by posting pictures of your rain garden or permeable surfaces to our map on our Overwatering is Out page!