OCWD Online - Projects | Irvine Desalter Project

Home > Projects: Irvine Desalter Project - A Groundwater Restoration Project|

Background

In 1985, portions of the groundwater basin beneath the former El Toro Marine Base and the central area of Irvine were found to contain aircraft cleaning solvents known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE), resulted from past disposal and waste management practices that were common before the development of stricter environmental regulations in the mid-1970s.

Though a offsite plume of contamination has been identified, this plume does not yet affect the drinking water supply for Orange County. The Irvine Desalter Project is designed to ensure that it never does. In addition, other portions of the groundwater basin outside the plume contain high levels of minerals and nitrates, which resulted from natural geologic conditions and past agricultural practices.

For more information on the Irvine Desalter Project, please visit the web site of Irvine Ranch Water District here. (The page will open in a new window.)

ABOVE: A 3-D cutaway view of the VOC chemical-contaminated plume under MCAS El Toro.
Download a detailed overhead map of the Irvine Desalter Project:
IDP Map - May. 2006 (508K PDF file)

using the Google search engine: