Microbial and Dissolved Organic Carbon Characterization of Stormflow in the Santa Ana River at Imperial Highway, Southern California, 1999-2002: Usgs - Paperback

by John A. Izbicki (Author), Isabel M. Pimentel (Author), Et Al (Created by)

The Santa Ana River drains about 2,670 square miles of densely populated coastal southern California, near Los Angeles. Almost all the flow in the river, more than 200,000 acre-feet annually, is diverted to ponds where it infiltrates and recharges underlying aquifers pumped to supply water for more than 2 million people. Base flow in the river is almost entirely treated municipal wastewater discharged from upstream treatment plants and, in the past, stormflow was considered a source of high-quality water suitable for use as a source of ground-water recharge that would dilute poorer quality water recharged during base flow.