Operations

We are committed to the continued investment in, and proactive maintenance of, our infrastructure, which pumps, treats and delivers nearly five billion gallons of quality drinking water to homes and businesses each year.

Our system includes 317 miles of pipeline, seven wells, three storage reservoirs, 3,400 fire hydrants, two booster pump stations, and the Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF) – “Murph” for short. Thanks to this state-of-the-art facility, we are the only Orange County water provider to source 100% of our community’s water needs with a local supply.

California H2O: Flowing for the Future

Mesa Water’s Pipeline Integrity Program was featured in “Investing in Our Future,” part of the Association of California Water Agencies’ (ACWA) California H20: Flowing for the Future video series.

Reservoirs

Reservoirs allow the water system to maintain a constant and steady system pressure by filling when demand is low, and pumping when demand is high. This system allows for rapid response to the unplanned demands from a fire or damaged fire hydrant by quickly replacing the lost supply with reservoir water. The reservoirs also prevent over pressurization of the water system by drawing off excess water (and pressure) into storage.

Find out more about our reservoirs

Our Capital Improvement Plan anticipates ongoing improvements and maintenance to the system through well rehabilitation, distribution systems improvements and pipeline integrity testing and improvement.

View our construction updates

Water Sources

Water is pumped from Orange County’s groundwater basin, which underlies north-central Orange County from Irvine to the Los Angeles County border and from Yorba Linda to the Pacific Ocean. The basin is replenished by water from the Santa Ana River and imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Mesa Water is not dependent on outside sources, but imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River is accessible, if needed.

The MWRF (pronounced “Murph”) features two deep-water wells and a one-million gallon reservoir. Source water for the MWRF is pulled from deep below ground, with an amber tint from ancient redwoods. Mesa Water uses state-of-the-art nanofiltration technology at the MWRF to remove the tint and adds the clear, purified water to its water supply.

Mesa Water’s seven clear-water wells pump water from 200-600 feet below the surface and provide up to 85% of the water needs for Mesa Water’s service area. The MWRF’s two deep-water wells pump water from 1,200 feet below the surface and provide the remaining water needed for Mesa Water customers. The aquifer extends down to 2,000 feet below the surface.

Mesa Water supports the development of cost-effective and environmentally-sensitive sources of water, including recycling, groundwater clean-up, conservation, and desalination.

Read the results of our Desalination Plant Survey