Tustin

HISTORY OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN

Columbus Tustin, a Northern California carriage maker, and his partner Nelson Stafford purchased 1,300 acres of what had been the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana for the price of one dollar and fifty cents per acre. Mr. Tustin attempted to create Tustin City, but sales of homesites were slow, and in the early 1870s he ended up giving free lots to anyone who would build a home.

In 1877, Tustin lost out to Santa Ana as the Southern terminus of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and Columbus Tustin died in 1883, a bitterly disappointed man. Nonetheless, with the abundance of water, the community named after him gradually became established as an agricultural center.

In the 1950s, Tustin’s growth began in earnest. Freeways, quality schools, and post-war industries attracted thousands of people. The orchards were developed by builders and by 1970 the population had jumped to 32,000.

Growth was a painful process as houses replaced orange groves. Old-timers and newcomers alike had to adapt to each other, cope with new problems and situations, and expand facilities to handle increased patronage. And so tract after tract replaced grove after grove.

With all the development, the next step was annexation to the City. Annexation became the major issue during the period from 1955 to 1965. One of the early annexations to the city was the Tustin Union High School campus. Although the school was built in 1921, it remained outside the city limits until annexation in 1957.

During the 1950s the City increased 220% in size with annexations. The big leap came in the 1960s when the population increased a whopping 1,012%, going from 2,006 to 22,313 population and the land area increased from 434.23 acres to 2,21477, or a 410% increase. Several large annexations greatly increased the city’s area between 1971 and 1981.

The Marine Corps Air Station was annexed to Tustin, adding 2,076 acres to the city. A few years later a total of 2,257 acres that had been in the Irvine Ranch agricultural preserve were annexed and have been developed as Tustin Ranch.

WHERE DOES WESTMINSTER CITY WATER COME FROM?

Tustin Water Services utilizes groundwater and imported water to supply domestic water to more than 14,100 service connections through approximately 172 miles of water mains.

The groundwater is pumped from the City’s 14 groundwater wells. Imported water from the Colorado River is provided by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Little to no water is provided by way of the State Water Project. Tustin Water Services customers receive a blend of surface and groundwater from these sources.

In 2013 Tustin Water Services supplied over 3.98 billion gallons of water to its customers. The City has multiple storage reservoirs located throughout the service area that allows for the storage of water during low demand periods for use during peak demand periods by Tustin Water Services customers.

ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN WESTMINSTER CITY WATER?

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the layers of the ground it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animal and human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment

plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production or mining activities.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining and farming.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gasoline stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application and septic systems

SHOULD I DRINK AND BATHE WITH WESTMINSTER CITY WATER STRAIGHT FROM MY FAUCET?

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people, such as those with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have had organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly persons and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

The USEPA and the federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water

Complete Plumbing recommends installing a Catalytic Carbon Whole house water filtration system by Aqualistic Water Products to remove most of the harmful chemicals in your city water, leaving you with bottled quality water at every faucet in your home.

TUSTIN PLUMBING TIPS

Fix leaky faucets. For every leak stopped, you can save 20 gallons of water per day.

Develop a watering schedule for your irrigation system. To learn more, visit www.bewaterwise.com/calculator.html.

Use native plants in your landscaping. Planting and maintaining beautiful California native and water-friendly plants can save between 1,000 and 1,800 gallons per month.

Install a high efficiency toilet or clothes washer. A temporary rebate program is still available. Other rebates are also available for sprinklers and artificial turf. To learn more, visitwww.ocwatersmart.com.

MWDSC has its own water conservation website. To find out more information on water-saving plants and other useful tips, visit www.bewaterwise.com.

TUSTIN RESIDENTS should make sure that their plumbing systems are in good working order and are leak-free. This is important, not only for saving money on your water bill and limiting damages to property, but it is our responsibility to provide clean fresh water for future generations.

 DID YOU KNOW?

            Water Leaks:

  • Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water are lost annually due to household leaks. That’s equal to the annual water use of more than 11 million homes.
  • The average household can waste more than 10,000 gallons each year due to correctable leaks. That’s enough to wash 270 loads of laundry!
  • Ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day! Common sources include toilets, faucets, showerheads, and landscape irrigation. But you should also consider less obvious sources of leaks: water heaters, ice makers, dishwashers, and filtration systems. Many of these are easily correctable, and fixing them can save about 10 percent on the average water bill.
  • Be sure to check your toilet for leaks at least once a year. Put food coloring in the tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. And if your toilet flapper doesn’t close properly after flushing, replace it.
  • Remember, one drip a second adds up to five gallons lost per day!
    So regularly check your faucets and showerheads, as well as all hoses and connectors.
  • Many household leaks can be solved with simple tools and a little education — and fortunately, Do-It-Yourselfers have access to multiple resources. But even if you must pay for repairs, you will still save money in the long run. For more information on water conservation, visit ocwatersmart.com.
  • Complete plumbing provides leak detection of even the smallest amount of water which could prevent costly water bills and possible damage due to water leaks
  • Complete plumbing utilizes automatic water shut off valves that detect leaks, automatically shuts off the water to your home then sends you an alert via a smart phone app. You can turn the water on and off, monitor water usage and temperature right from your phone!

TUSTIN CITY SEWER DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Sewer maintenance in Tustin is provided by the East Orange County Water District and the Irvine Ranch Water District.

  • Most Tustin homes have just one main sewer pipe that connects the sewer system from their house to the city’s main sewer system. Homeowners are required to maintain that sewer pipe up to and including the middle of the street and may be responsible for repair costs should a problem occur.
  • Complete Plumbing can use a sewer drain camera and location device to inspect sewer lines for breaks, cracks root intrusions. This simple examination of your sewer system may save thousands of dollars in repair costs.

Stormwater is water from rain that does not soak into the ground. It flows over paved areas like streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, as well as roofs and sloped lawns. As it flows, the stormwater collects and carries pollutants such as litter, pet waste, pesticides, fertilizers, and motor oil. This “toxic soup” then flows through a massive system of pipes and channels directly into our local waterways and the ocean.

What is the difference between the storm drain system and the sanitary sewer system?

The storm drain system and sanitary sewer system are both large conveyance systems of underground pipes. This leads to the misconception that the systems are one and the same. They are in fact separated and serve different purposes.

The sanitary sewer system transports domestic sewage to a treatment plant. Domestic sewage includes wastewater from household and commercial plumbing, such as toilets, showers, and sinks. There, contaminants are removed from the sewage through a multi-stage process, which includes settling, filtering, and biological and chemical treatment. The treated water is then discharged into local waterways or used as reclaimed water.

The storm drain system, on the other hand, was designed to prevent cities from flooding. Its purpose is to quickly transport rain runoff (stormwater) away from the city and into the nearest waterway, without treatment. And so, any pollution carried by stormwater also enters our waterways untreated.

We have been serving Tustin Residents for over 30 years and know a lot about Tustinwater filtration systems, Tustin Plumbing Systems, Tustin heating, and air conditioning systems, Tustin tankless water heaters, Tustin drain cleaning

Call and ask about our Tustin residents specials

What is Storm Water Pollution?