Hurricane Hillary hit southern California by surprise, but not OC San. As the region prepared for the unusual weather, OC San also sprung into action taking all the necessary precautions to handle the excess water expected to reach OC San facilities.
As with any potential risk, OC San has contingency plans in place should anything outside the norm occur. Staff is on standby monitoring the flow and ready to act. Fortunately, we weathered the storm well and Hillary minimized her impact in OC San's service area.
Plant No. 1 in Fountain Valley had an instantaneous peak of 172 million gallons a day (MGD) (approximately 20 MGD above normal) and Plant No. 2 in Huntington Beach there was an instantaneous peak of 158 MGD (approximately 80 MGD above normal). While that is a lot of water, it was completely within our range of operations.
OC San once again demonstrated that the ongoing maintenance, asset management, and capital improvements ensure that your regional wastewater system is sound, in ready position, and capable of meeting the various conditions.
