Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Guide to the Santa Margarita Water District Records
MS-R083
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Santa Margarita Water District records
Date: 1970-1982,
Date (bulk): bulk 1978-1981
Collection Number: MS-R083
Creator:
Santa Margarita Water District (Calif.)
Extent:
5 linear feet
(5 boxes)
Languages: The collection is in English.
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
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.
Important Information for Researchers
The collection is open for research.
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.
Santa Margarita Water District records. MS-R083. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Transferred to Special Collections and Archives from UCI Libraries Government Information Center in 2001.
Evidence within the collection indicates these materials were received and collected by Robert Monroe, a board director of
the SMWD.
Processed by Cyndi Shein, 2007.
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.
Biography/Organization History
| 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. |
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).
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.
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
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Santa Margarita Water District (Calif.). -- Archives.
Water districts -- California -- Orange County -- Archives.
Water supply -- California -- Orange County -- Archives.
Sewage disposal -- California -- Orange County -- Archives.
Orange County (Calif.) -- Archives.
Genres and Formats of Materials
Environmental impact statements -- California -- Orange County --20th century.