Foothills Sentry Page 2 JANUARY 2026 Learn more at eocwd.com SAVE WATER OPA annual meeting slated The Orange Park Association’s annual general membership meeting will be held Saturday, Jan. 31 at Salem Church, 6500 E. Santiago Canyon Rd. The doors open at 8 a.m. for coffee and donuts, an opportunity to visit community partners who will have display tables, and pay new and renewing membership dues. The meeting begins promptly at 9 a.m. with a state of OPA presentation. Nominations for and the election of new board directors commences at 10 a.m. Each year, the terms for three board directors end. An important focus of the annual meeting is to fill those seats. The newly elected directors will be announced prior to adjournment. Visit info@orangeparkacres. org or call the OPA Hotline (714) 900-2OPA(672) for more information. OCWD captures 5.6 billion gallons of water during recent storms The November storms that brought approximately 3.5 inches of rain to the region allowed the Orange County Water District (OCWD) to capture more than 5.6 billion gallons of Santa Ana River stormwater that will be recharged into the Orange County Groundwater Basin. The groundwater basin, managed by OCWD, provides approximately 85% of the drinking water supply for 2.5 million people in north and central Orange County. “Our planning and investments are turning rain into reliable drinking water,” said OCWD President Denis Bilodeau. “OCWD staff maintain and improve our recharge systems all year, so they are ready when storms arrive. That work is paying off by capturing every drop we can.” A large portion of these stormwater flows is held behind Prado Dam in Riverside County. This stormwater capture is possible because of OCWD’s long-standing partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). USACE operates Prado Dam and allows stormwater to be held longer and released at controlled rates so OCWD can safely move it down the Santa Ana River and store the water underground. Santa Ana River stormwater capture is a key part of OCWD’s strategy to increase the use of local water. By using more stormwater, OCWD reduces the need to buy imported water, which can be more expensive and less reliable. OCWD’s and USACE’s ability to capture stormwater has been further improved by the Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) at Prado Dam. FIRO uses advanced weather forecasts and data to better understand the size, timing, and path of storms and atmospheric rivers. This allows dam operators to safely hold more water when conditions allow and maximizes what is sent to OCWD to be stored underground. Orange council tweaks criteria for sale of fireworks Safe and sane fireworks sales in Orange will remain much the same as last year, with a few tweaks to the permitting process approved by the city council, Dec. 9. A discussion on that topic at November's meeting left three issues without resolution: the number of available permits; the length of time they would cover; and whether affiliated nonprofits could apply for individual permits. The council agreed to continue offering 12 permits. Jon Dumitru wanted to up the ante to 15, but was agreeable to keeping it to 12. The recommendation at the last meeting had been to reduce the number to eight, because some booths did not do as well as others. That could be remedied by moving booth locations. Of the 12 permits, four will be offered to the four high schools in Orange. Last year, Richland High opted out. If Richland declines a permit this year, that one, the council decided, will be given to the Orange Community Foundation. Permits will be given for two years, with those nonprofits subsequently excluded for the next two years. Mayor Dan Slater and Councilmember Ana Gutierrez favored a one-year program in the interest of fairness to all. They, however, deferred to points made by Dumitru and Arianna Barrios, that two years gave nonprofits a chance to change locations, train volunteers and generate a good funding foundation. A two-year stand-down period allows greater opportunities for others. During last year’s permitting process, staff received applications from separate groups affiliated with umbrella organizations. Those affiliated groups were denied if a permit had already been granted to the larger organization. A high school, for example, may have booster clubs, band supporters, extracurricular organizations, all of whom might want to apply for a permit. The council opted to keep affiliated organizations out of the mix, if the umbrella group had received a permit. Since each Orange high school will get a permit, it is up to them to identify the beneficiary of the fireworks sales. The council vote was unanimous. The deadline for permit applications, moved up during the November meeting, is Jan. 5. The lottery drawing will take place in March. Crawford Canyon Park opens Crawford Canyon Park officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony, Nov. 20, ending seven years of delays and missed deadlines. Located at the northwest corner of Crawford Canyon Road and Newport Avenue in North Tustin, the 2.5-acre park includes two playgrounds, a quarter-mile walkway, exercise stations, large grassy space, 11 parking spaces, a wood pedestrian bridge and picnic tables. The park was originally conceived in 2018, when a developer promised the county it would help fund the park if its Clearwater Senior Living facility on Newport Avenue was approved. The county approved the project that year and received $850,000 in park fees. Completion was originally determined to be “within a few years.” Before construction could begin on the park, however, the county determined that sidewalks along Crawford Canyon Road should be extended to provide better access for pedestrians and bike riders. That task required separate planning, permitting, and a request for bids from contractors, which required approval from the Board of Supervisors. The county still expected construction of the sidewalks, and park, to be completed by early 2023. The pandemic slowed everything down, creating a backlog that pushed the bidding process for park construction into 2024. A contract was finally awarded in April 2024 and authorization to proceed given in June. Completion was slated for 320 days hence, or spring 2025. Ground was broken in August 2024. Once grading began, the contractor found that additional fill dirt was needed, thus requiring a change order and additional funding from the county. That approval was secured in January 2025, as was an additional 23 days allowed for grading. Total cost for the park was $6.3 million, paid for with district funds earmarked for county park improvements, maintenance and operations. Crawford Canyon Park will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the fall and winter and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the spring and summer. The long-awaited community park at Newport Avenue and Crawford Canyon Road officially opened Nov. 20. The new park features play areas, walkways, exercise stations and picnic tables. Stormwater collected by OCWD Photos by Tony Richards
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