Santa Ana River Design Memorandum Number 1 Phase 2 Gdm On The Santa Ana River Mainstem Including Santiago Creek Main Report And Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

The Santa Ana River Mainstem Project, including Santiago Creek, is designed to provide urban flood protection to the growing communities in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The project will provide various levels of flood protection ranging from 100-year to 190-year in areas most susceptible to damages from floodflows for over 2 million people and businesses within the three-county area. Most of the development is in the Lower Santa Ana River Basin (Orange County). The project will provide environmental enhancement in a currently degraded marsh area at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, thereby providing significant value as a wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl and fot the California least tern, a federally listed endangered species. The project is intended to provide increased recreation opportunities through project related recreational developments on the Lower Santa Ana River and on Santiago Creek. Water conservation is not an authorized project purpose, but incidental water conservation benefits would be realized as a part of the recommended plan. (FR).