- 2,800 square miles
- 4.8 million people
- Fastest growing region in California, by 2050 there should be 10 million people
- Covers Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and a portion of LA County
- In 2000, 1.4 million acre feet of water was needed to meet demand
- The watershed is home to the110 mile Santa Ana River Trail which runs from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean
About the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority:
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s (SAWPA) mission is to develop and maintain regional plans, programs and projects that will protect the Santa Ana River basin water resources to maximize beneficial uses within the watershed in an economically and environmentally responsible manner.
SAWPA was first formed in 1968 as a planning agency and reformed in 1972 with a mission to protect the water quality of the Santa Ana River Watershed. SAWPA is a Joint Powers Authority (government agency) and is classified as a Special District under California Law. The agreements formalizing the configuration of SAWPA went into effect in 1975. Since that time, SAWPA has constructed a number of projects intended to increase water supply and improve water quality within the watershed.
SAWPA also has facilitated a number of regional agreements allowing agencies to address problems on a watershed-wide level. As part of the regional SAWPA focus, over $275 million of State Bond funds have been directed toward projects directly improving water quality and reliability within the region.
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