1862
Orange County experiences one of its largest floods
1889
The County of Orange is established
1916
Major flood generated by two storms that caused loss of life and significant property damage throughout Southern California
1927
Orange County Flood Control District is established
Visit the American Society of Civil Engineers' Orange County Flood Control District web page for more background and to download its "A Brief History of the Orange County Flood Control District" (Los Angeles Section, Orange County Branch, History & Heritage Committee, prepared by Sonia Ytuarte Nasser, PE, January 2000).
1936
Federal Flood Control Act authorizes the Santa Ana River Basin Federal Flood Control Project consisting of several dams
1939
Congress directs U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with design of Prado Dam
1955
George Osborne appointed by the Board of Supervisors as Chief Engineer of the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD)
For more on George Osborne's life and legacy, read the L.A. Times obituary O.C.'s Water Czar Dies, Was ‘an Institution’" (January 15, 1999).
Orange County Flood Control District completes comprehensive report recommending countywide plan to construct channel improvements, dams and retarding basins
1968
Completed construction of the County’s Central Utility Facility. The CUF is managed by OCPW and delivers electricity, heating and cooling to County, Federal and City of Santa Ana buildings in the Santa Ana Civic Center
1974
George Osborne appointed by the Board of Supervisors as the first Director of the new Environmental Management Agency (EMA), the foundation of what would later become Orange County Public Works (OCPW)
1994
Construction begins for the Seven Oaks Dam in San Bernardino County, which is operated and maintained by the Orange County Flood Control District, The San Bernardino County Flood Control District and Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
1999
Construction of the Seven Oaks Dam is completed, measuring 550-foot-high, 2,980-foot long and made of 38 million cubic yards of soil, rock and clay.
2001
Orange County Flood Control District named as a California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civic Engineers
2016
OCPW completes the Avenida La Pata Extension Project connection between San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, the County’s largest roadway project in history
2018
OCPW completes the new OC Animal Care Facility, replacing the previous County animal shelter built in the 1940s
2018
Completed the $68 million Central Utility Facility infrastructure upgrades project in the Santa Ana Civic Center
2019
OCPW completes construction of County Administration South building and County Service Center, the first phase of the Santa Ana Civic Center Facilities Strategic Plan
2022
OCPW completes construction of County Administration North building, new home to the Board of Supervisors and CEO
By the close of 2022, OCPW anticipates the completion of its East Garden Grove-Wintersburg Channel project, which spans a section of the channel from Warner Avenue near Springdale Street to Goldenwest Street in Huntington Beach. The project has transformed a section of an existing flood control channel to meet today’s design standards, which will increase stormwater capacity and enhance flood protection for surrounding communities.
