OSO Reservoir

SMWD’s Upper Oso Reservoir, one of the largest recycled water reservoirs in Orange County, has been in operation since 1979.  It is located near the 241 Toll Road in the cities of Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita.

The reservoir holds up to 1.3 billion gallons of recycled and runoff water used for outdoor irrigation in the surrounding communities, therefore conserving over a billion gallons of drinking water each year. The benefit received from Oso Reservoir will continue to increase as the cost of water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California continues to rapidly rise.

In mid-2010, equipment was installed in Oso Reservoir to keep the water well oxygenated.  The equipment utilizes an ECO2 Speece Cone that was placed underwater and is used to mix the lake’s cold, deep water with a stream of oxygen. Because the equipment is underwater, there are no aesthetic impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods. SolarBee equipment is also used to circulate and oxygenate the reservoir’s surface water.

Installation of the Oxygenation system (O2 Speece Cone) involved concrete placement, heavy rigging, underwater pump placement, 10’ hdpe pipe installation, and discharge manifold installation.

http://www.smwd.com/operations/upper-oso-reservoir.html

http://www.pci-intl.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170:board-approves-installation-of-oxygenation-equipment-at-upper-oso-reservoir&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=2

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2010/07/rancho_santa_margarita_stinky.php