Santa Margarita Water District is piping recycled water to Las Flores to increase the amount of recycled water used for local irrigation. By using more recycled water, the District will save 65 million gallons of imported drinking water for essential indoor use.

The District will build a new recycled water distribution system for irrigation in the Las Flores area.  Approximately 12,500 feet (or 2½ miles) of recycled water pipeline (“Purple Pipe”) will be constructed beneath the roadways. This new distribution system will be completely separate from the drinking water distribution system and used for irrigation only. The District will increase the delivery of recycled water for irrigation by approximately 65 million gallons per year. 

Like most water districts in South Orange County, SMWD relies on imported water from hundreds of miles away from Northern California and the Colorado River to meet its customer demand. To meet the current demand for irrigation of many parks, greenbelts, golf courses, and other common areas, SMWD uses both recycled water and imported drinking water. By expanding the recycled water distribution system, SMWD will increase recycled water usage which will significantly reduce dependence on imported potable water for irrigation.