City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
Fossil Fuel
Petroleum-based infrastructure is prolific throughout southern California. The region’s history of oil extraction has led to the development of large refineries and storage sites. The nearest refineries to Irvine are located 21 miles away in the South Bay region of adjacent Los Angeles County. There are six large refineries all located within 2.5 miles of each other, which include:
Phillips 66, Carson
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Phillips 66, Wilmington
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Tesoro
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Tesoro - Carson
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Valero, Wilmington Asphalt 16
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These refineries are some of the most productive in California, having refined, by some estimates, nearly 1.2 trillion barrels of oil since production in the area began in 1932. 27 F16 F 17 Within the City Kinder Morgan owns a petroleum pipeline that connects the greater LA Basin to the San Diego region. Natural gas production also occurs in the Southern California region, and multiple pipelines are in and around the City. Natural gas is provided to Irvine and surrounding jurisdictions by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). There is one transmission line that bisects the City north to south, and two other lines in the northwest portion of the City. If any of these lines are damaged, it could potentially interrupt the flow and delivery of natural gas to the City. Additionally, natural gas ignites very easily, and any rupture in a transmission line could damage properties in the vicinity of the leak and cause fires from the escaped natural gas. The presence of this infrastructure creates unique challenges for the City from an emergency management perspective. The inclusion of hazards associated with damage to this infrastructure is an important element of an effective response to future incidents involving natural gas use and transmission.
Water and Wastewater
Water in Irvine is provided by the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD). Sixty- five percent of Irvine’s overall water supply comes from IRWD’s local groundwater wells located west of the 55 Freeway. These wells extract high-quality water from the Orange County Groundwater Basin managed by the Orange County Water District (OCWD). Approximately 35 percent of Irvine’s drinking water is purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). This imported water comes from the Colorado River via the Colorado River Aqueduct and from Northern California via the State Water Project. 18 In addition to developing its local groundwater and recycled water systems, IRWD has diversified its water supply reliability by developing water banking projects in Kern County, California. IRWD has constructed a fully operational water banking program that makes it possible for IRWD and its banking partners to store excess water during “wet” hydrologic periods. The stored water is then available for use during “dry”
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