Santiago Creek Flood Control Project Town Hall meeting set for May 3 in Santa Ana

Join County of Orange District 2 Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, the Office of Congressman Lou Correa, and Santa Ana City Council Member Jessie Lopez for a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Santiago Creek Flood Risk Management Project.

The Orange County Public Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are hosting this in-person public meeting on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at OC Public Works County Conference Center located at 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

• Learn more about the project
• Reducing risk

The Santiago Creek Project would address the following flood control-related issues:

• Major storms cause flooding with high flow rates in a highly urbanized area.
• High flows result in erosion along creek which may damage adjacent homes.
• Existing non-native vegetation within the creek reduces channel capacity.
• Major erosion occurring at the Santiago Basin which is used to detain flood waters.

Why

• The Santiago Creek is the largest watershed (102 sq. mi.) tributary to the Santa Ana River downstream of Prado Dam.
• The Santiago Creek project is authorized under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 1986 (PL-99-662).
• The improvements were based on the recommendations of the Phase I (1980) & Phase II (1988) General Design Memorandum (GDM).
• To contain the 100-year storm, provide flood protection for approximately 74,000 people.
• Rehabilitate the creek between the I-5 Freeway and the Santa Ana River confluence for improved erosion protection and conveyance.
• Stabilize the slopes of the Santiago Basin.

Where the project is located

Use the map below to locate the Santiago Creek flood control project.

What

• In December 1989, the three local flood control districts (Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino) entered into a Local Cooperation Agreement (LCA) with the US Army Corps of Engineers to construct the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project, including Santiago Creek.
• In January 2021, an amendment to the LCA was approved to provide funding for the Lower Santa Ana River through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA 2018) at 100% federal cost, subject to availability of funds.
• In the LCA amendment, the Santiago Creek Project was not included in the BBA 2018 funding since it was not ready for construction at that time.
• The Santiago Creek Project, however, received funding of $2.85 million to develop an Engineering Documentation Report (EDR) to update the design to reflect changes to the project area since 1988, and to incorporate modernized engineering processes.

When

• A public meeting was held on January 26, 2023 to present design concepts to affected residents.
• Ongoing preparation of EDR to develop the final design as of April 2023.
• Update construction cost estimate as of April 2023.
• Prepare environmental documents to comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to be completed by May 2023 followed by a public meeting.
• Review by the Change Control Board to determine if project can be funded in September 2023.
• If funds are identified, it would take approximately five years to design and construct the project.

Questions:

Contact (714) 667-9759 or ProjectInfor@ocpw.ocgov.com.