Guide to the Santa Margarita Water District Records
MS.R.083
Processed by Cyndi Shein; machine-readable finding aid created by Cyndi
Shein
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2007
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Santa Margarita Water District records
Creator:
Santa Margarita Water District (Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.083
Physical Description:
5 Linear Feet
(5 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1970-1982
Date (bulk): 1978-1981
Abstract: Established in 1964, the Santa
Margarita Water District (SMWD), serves Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza,
Las Flores, Ladera Ranch, Talega, and Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County, California. The
collection documents SMWD's research and services. It contains analyses and reports on
wastewater disposal, water reclamation, water importation, facility regulations, and
environmental impacts related to SMWD projects. It also includes correspondence, proposals,
agreements, and minutes of board of directors' meetings.
Language of Material:
English .
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by
the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Santa Margarita Water District records. MS-R083. Special Collections and Archives, The UC
Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Transferred to Special Collections and Archives from UCI Libraries Government Information
Center in 2001.
Custodial History
Evidence within the collection indicates these materials were received and collected by
Robert Monroe, a board director of the SMWD.
Processing History
Processed by Cyndi Shein, 2007.
Biography
The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD), Orange County's second largest water district,
is located in southern Orange County, California. It was formed in 1964, prior to the
construction of the first residential neighborhood in the area, when the region was
dominated by the 52,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo. As of 2007, it serves the communities of
Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Las Flores, Ladera Ranch, Talega, and
the remaining 23,000-acres of Rancho Mission Viejo. The SMWD is governed by a five-member
board of directors that is elected by residents within the district's boundaries.
Biographical/Historical note
Chronology
1964 |
SMWD established by a group of local landowners to supply water to their ranches.
|
1965 |
First SMWD Board of Directors meeting held. |
1970 |
Began strategic planning to supply water to future communities scheduled to be
built within the district.
|
1974 |
Established more than 800 connections, including to the newly constructed
communities of Mission Viejo and Coto de Caza.
|
1981 |
Constructed the O'Neill Reservoir, the district's largest water storage
facility.
|
1985 |
Began construction on Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant to provide sewage
treatment for the neighborhoods of Coto de Caza, Rancho Santa Margarita, and part of
the Trabuco Canyon Water District.
|
1990 |
Spearheaded construction of the South County Pipeline from Lake Forest to San
Clemente.
|
1993 |
Completed South County Pipeline, the district's primary source of water. |
2001 |
Expanded Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant. |
2005 |
Began construction on two subterranean reservoirs intended to serve Ladera
Ranch.
|
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection comprises materials documenting Santa Margarita Water District's (SMWD)
research and activities in the development and delivery of the its water service. It
includes meeting booklets documenting monthly SMWD Board of Directors' meetings, including
agendas, minutes, and reports from the treasurer, general manager, engineers, and legal
counsel. The collection also includes analyses and reports on wastewater disposal, water
reclamation, water importation, facility regulations, and environmental impacts related to
SMWD projects. It also includes some related correspondence, proposals, and agreements.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series.
- Series 1. Board of directors meeting materials, 1978-1982. 2.8 linear feet
- Series 2. Project proposals, plans, and reports, 1970-1981. 2 linear feet
- Series 3. Agreements and correspondence, 1977-1981. 0.2 linear feet
Santa Margarita Water District. "40 Years of Service and Excellence."
http://www.smwd.com/ (accessed September 13, 2007).Rancho Mission Viejo.
"A Legacy of Ranching." Rancho Mission Viejo.
http://www.ranchomissionviejo.com/history/history.php#1960 (accessed September 21,
2007).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Environmental impact statements -- California -- Orange County -- 20th
century.
Water districts -- California -- Orange County -- History --
Sources.
Sewage disposal -- California -- Orange County -- History --
Sources
Water supply -- California -- Orange County -- History --
Sources
Santa Margarita Water District (Calif.) -- Archives
Board of directors meeting materials Series 1.
1978-1982
Physical Description: 2.8 Linear
Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains booklets that were distributed to SMWD board members documenting
SMWD board meetings and include agendas, minutes, reports from the treasurer, general
manager, engineers, and legal counsel. Some booklets are accompanied by supplemental
materials related to the meeting, including maps, correspondence, and reports related to
the items discussed at that meeting.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically by meeting date.
Processing note
Booklets have been unbound for preservation purposes.
box 1, folder 1-33
Minutes, reports, and other materials
1978-1979
box 2, folder 1-36
Minutes, reports, and other materials
1979-1980
box 3, folder 1-24
Minutes, reports, and other materials
1980-1982
Project proposals, plans, and reports Series 2.
1970-1981, bulk dates 1978-1981
Physical Description: 2 Linear
Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series primarily contains project proposals, plans, and reports prepared for the
improvement of water service and wastewater management within the SMWD. It also includes
information on projects that impacted the SMWD.
The Santa Margarita Water District is divided into eight Improvement Districts. The
geographic locations associated with projects and proposals in the collection are
identified by Improvement District number, and abbreviated, "ID no." Many of the
communities now served by the SMWD had not been built at the time of these records, but
were part of the expansive Rancho Mission Viejo. The ID numbers on the materials in this
collection roughly correspond with the following regions as they existed in the
mid-1970s to early 1980s:
- Improvement District 1 : Mission Viejo
- Improvement District 2 : Coto de Caza
- Improvement District 3 : Northern Rancho Mission Viejo
- Improvement District 4 : Northwestern Rancho Mission Viejo
- Improvement District 5 : Southern Rancho Mission Viejo
- Improvement District 6 : Central Rancho Mission Viejo
- Improvement District 7 : Southwestern Rancho Mission Viejo
Improvement District 8, located at the northern tip of the SMWD, is not defined in
these materials.
Arrangement
Projects that affected several regions are listed first, followed by materials
pertaining to specific regions.
box 3, folder 25-27
Alicia Parkway water transmission main extension : proposal and
report
1978-1981
box 3, folder 28-31
Aliso Water Management Agency:
Regional Wastewater
Treatment System, Draft Environmental Impact Statement
1975
box 3, folder 32
Diemer Intertie - Santiago Aqueduct System, SMWD connections to
1978
box 3, folder 33-34
Diemer Project: construction reports
1979-1980
box 4, folder 1
Galivan Wastewater Reclamation Plant: design report
1978
box 4, folder 2
Improvement Districts 1A-WS, 3, 4 and 5: proposed plan of works
undated
box 4, folder 3
Nondomestic water facilities: proposed regulations
1979
box 4, folder 4
Reallocations of water and sewer bond issues: proposal
1979
box 4, folder 5
Reclaimed water system: standard specifications
1978
box 4, folder 6
Santiago Aqueduct Commission Board of Commissioners agenda
1981
box 4, folder 7
Alternatives to Upper Oso Reservoir for reclaimed water storage:
report
1978
box 4, folder 8
Seasonal domestic water storage: feasibility study
undated
box 4, folder 9-11
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
South East
Regional Reclamation Authority (SERRA) Ocean Outfall, Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
undated
box 4, folder 12
Water conservation and reuse: program overview
1977
box 4, folder 13
Water importation: preliminary master plan
1977
box 4, folder 14
Water Quality Task Group report of the groundwater subgroup
1977
box 4, folder 15-20
Water reclamation facilities: planning study and reports
1980-1981
box 4, folder 21
Zone D Pumping Station: design report
1981
Coto de Caza (Improvement District 2)
box 4, folder 22-23
North Entry Reservoir: draft environmental impact report
1978
box 4, folder 24
Portola Reservoir: report
undated
box 4, folder 25
Sewage treatment alternatives: report
undated
box 4, folder 26
Wastewater collection and disposal facilities: revised plan of
works
1979
box 4, folder 27-28
Wastewater reclamation project: reports on waste discharge
1980-1981
box 4, folder 29
Water reclamation plant: design report
1979
box 4, folder 30
Water supply and transmission systems: analysis
1981
box 4, folder 31
Water supply and wastewater disposal: preliminary study
1977
box 4, folder 32
Water system facilities: revised plan of works
1978
box 4, folder 33
Zone IV reservoir and Zone V booster pump station: proposal
1981
Mission Viejo (Improvement District 1)
box 4, folder 35
La Paz Booster Pump Station: report
1981
box 4, folder 36-39
Lakeside Pump Station: plans and studies
1979-1981
box 5, folder 1
Nondomestic water: conversion analyses
1981
box 5, folder 2-4
Oso Creek Water Reclamation Plant: studies and proposals on expansion and
start-up
1980-1981
box 5, folder 5
Oso Viejo Lake construction: proposal and study
1970
box 5, folder 6-7
Oversized capacity ownership: report
1981
box 5, folder 8-16
Plan of works and revisions
1977-1980
box 5, folder 17-18
Reclaimed water transmission system: analysis
1978
box 5, folder 19-21
Water and sewer bond projects and reallocations: proposals
1978-1981
box 5, folder 22
Water, sewer, and reclaimed water facilities: preliminary
designs
1979
Rancho Mission Viejo (Improvement Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
box 5, folder 23
Alternative water supply systems for the TRW Capistrano Test
Site
1980
box 5, folder 29
Water supply and wastewater disposal for the proposed and future Rancho
Mission Viejo development areas: report
undated
Agreements and correspondence Series 3.
1977-1981
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear
Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains a multi-district agreement regarding the Diemer Filtration Plant/
Santiago Aqueduct Intertie in Orange County, SMWD acquisition agreements, an amendment
to the SMWD Trabuco Well agreement, and SMWD reimbursement agreements, including a
sample reimbursement agreement that provides guidelines for future agreements. It also
includes some correspondence.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
box 5, folder 30
Acquisition agreements
1977
box 5, folder 31-32
Agreement for construction, operation and maintenance of Diemer Filtration
Plant/Santiago Aqueduct Intertie
1977?
box 5, folder 33
Reimbursement agreements
1980-1981
box 5, folder 34
Trabuco Well agreement amendment
1980