Before and after images of Irvine Lake with a billion gallons of new water

After years of drought and shrinking water levels, the first 16 days of the year gave Irvine Lake a big wet gift. Recent rainstorms delivered Irvin...

January 25, 2023
12:50 AM

After years of drought and shrinking water levels, the first 16 days of the year gave Irvine Lake a big wet gift. Recent rainstorms delivered Irvine Lake about 3,250 acre-feet of water. According to Irvine Ranch Water District spokesman John Fabris, 'That's more than a billion gallons — enough to serve more than 11,000 households for a year.' The primary purpose of Irvine Lake, co-owned by Irvine Ranch Water District and Serrano Water District, is to store water for the surrounding communities.  It captures rainwater from the surrounding watershed and in years with less rainfall, it stores water imported from Northern California or out-of-state.

Jeff Gritchen