Natural Treatment Site: Quail Springs

Quail Springs NTS site

The Quail Springs facility has functioned normally, with a few minor interruptions. This site is adjacent to a riparian mitigation area owned by the City of Irvine, and a major bike/pedestrian trail that connects the site with the lower San Diego Creek trail. Overall, the site’s vegetation has filled in nicely.

Water quality monitoring at the site has shown good removal rates for all nutrients; nitrogen, phosphate and selenium, while suspended solids removals were adequate as well. A water quality sonde has been installed at the inlet, allowing the continuous collection of water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. Went online February 2006.

Location & Size

Location: 33.5 Shady Canyon Drive, Irvine
Size: 9.1 acres
Tributary Watershed: 331 acres

Biological Values

The adjacent riparian mitigation area adds good quality habitat to this NTS basin, and many more species of wildlife are present on the site compared to similar-sized sites. Additional biological observations are planned in the future. The following nesting bird species were observed on the site: Marsh Wren, Bewick’s Wren, House Wren, Mallard, Western Bluebird, House Finch, Black Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Greater Roadrunner, Yellow Warbler, Mourning Dove, Yellow-breasted Chat, American Coot, Bullock’s Oriole, Ash-throated Flycatcher, American Robin, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk.

Maintenance

Routine Maintenance Activities:

TruGreen LandCare provides routine irrigation and landscape maintenance services at the site. Additional work such as mulch replacement, irrigation repairs, aquatic herbicide application, aquatic vegetation removal, and sediment removal were performed throughout the year.
System operations staff performed weekly site inspection, water quality monitoring, and landscape and irrigation maintenance review.

customer care

customer care