Mission Viejo will reuse 2 million gallons of pool water from Marguerite Aquatics Complex to irrigate medians and parks

In an effort to benefit the local environment, the City of Mission Viejo will reuse 2 million gallons of treated pool water from the Marguerite Aquatics Complex renovation project to irrigate its slopes, parks and medians.

Construction will soon begin on the 44-year-old facility that has been home to the world-famous Nadadores since the 1970s.  In preparation for the project that will take about a year and a half to complete, the City has turned off the heaters in the complex’s three pools – 50- and 25-meter pools and a shallow training pool – and stopped adding chemicals to the water so it can be neutralized before the pools are drained. The three pools contain more than 2 million gallons of water.  Once the water is neutralized, the City’s contractor – working with the Santa Margarita Water District – will slowly discharge it into nearby Oso Creek. The water will travel south toward Oso Parkway and will then be captured and pumped to the reclaimed water treatment plant on La Paz Road. At that point, the water will be treated and stored in the Upper Oso Reservoir along the 241 toll road and released for irrigation of the City’s slopes, parks and median islands.

Along with reusing the pool water, the City is also recycling the poles, old bleachers and complex furnishings to make way for the contractor to begin the actual demolition in the next few weeks.

“We have taken steps throughout this process to incorporate creative and environmentally friendly design elements and practices into the overall renovation project of the Marguerite Aquatics Complex,” said Assistant City Manager Keith Rattay.