Orange County Grand Jury • 2018-2019 • Agency Response
Response to: Orange County Cemetery District 09/20/19

Re-Opening Irvine Lake - a Win-Win for Taxpayers and Outdoor Enthusiasts*

Published: July 22, 2019 5 pages
View Original PDF

Findings and Recommendations 2 findings

F5 Page 1
"Although not a party to any recreation rights, IRWD does have a right of approval over decisions affecting water use rights and water quality. Therefore, settling easement rights issues in a successor document to the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among SWD, IRWD and TIC is required prior to concluding negotiations on recreation rights. Parties expect to complete this in the first half of 2019." Response: IRWD agrees with finding, though the timing to complete negotiations will continue into the second half of 2019.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 1
"By December 31, 2019, SWD, IRWD and OC Parks should explore the economic feasibility of establishing and maintaining Irvine Lake at a minimum water level based on expected income and other potential cost offsets. (F5 & F6)" Response: The recommendation will not be implemented by IRWD because it is not warranted for IRWD. As stated above, IRWD and the Serrano Water District balance the benefits of storing water in Irvine Lake to ensure customers have a reliable supply of water while minimizing the potential loss of water from the lake. When the water level in Irvine Lake is high, the rate of evaporation increases dramatically with the increased surface area of water. IRWD also manages the water level in Irvine Lake to preserve the ability to capture rainwater from the surrounding hills, because capturing this fresh water in Irvine Lake at no cost helps reduce the cost of providing reliable drinking water to customers. If the owners of the Irvine Lake Recreation Rights desire to establish a minimum level of water in Irvine Lake, IRWD is willing to discuss the costs associated with this request to ensure the recreational activities are not subsidized by IRWD customers for no benefit. Because IRWD does not have any ownership of the Irvine Lake Recreation Rights, it is not appropriate for IRWD to explore the economic feasibility of establishing and maintaining Irvine Lake at a minimum water level based on expected income and other potential cost offsets. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the May 13, 2019, report on Irvine Lake. If you have any questions or need further information about IRWD or this response, please contact me at (949) 453-5590. Sincerely, Paul A. Cook, P.E. General Manager
F6 Page 1
"SWD, OC Parks and IRWD acknowledge that to maximize recreational opportunities a more stable Irvine Lake water level is desirable." Response: IRWD wholly disagrees with this finding. Irvine Lake remains first and foremost a water resource facility, and as a water resource facility water levels in the lake change regularly. Over the lake's long history, water levels have fluctuated greatly at times being high when Orange County has had a wet winter and at other times lower, as in an extended drought. Despite changes in the lake's water levels, recreational opportunities have been available at Irvine Lake and, at various times and different water levels, those opportunities have been maximized based on active adaptive management of the recreational rights. From IRWD's perspective, it is not a more stable water level that is necessary to maximize recreational opportunities, but an adaptive management plan for recreational opportunities at the lake, which recognizes that water levels change, that could maximize the recreational opportunities at Irvine Lake. Control over recreational activities at Irvine Lake is the responsibility of the owners of the "Irvine Lake Recreation Rights." The Irvine Lake Recreation Rights will be owned by the County of Orange and the Serrano Water District. As outlined above, IRWD does not have any ownership of the Irvine Lake Recreation Rights. The Honorable Kirk H. Nakamura Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California July 22, 2019 Page
No recommendations for this finding

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.