Local Anaheim leaders share vision for OC River Walk, lobby for support ...Middle East

Local Anaheim leaders want the often dry and sandy Santa Ana River that cuts through the heart of Orange County to one day be filled with deep water and feature OC River Walk, a hub for recreation joining surrounding destinations such as OCVibe and Angel Stadium.

U.S. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, and other local leaders touched on that vision Wednesday, Jan. 29, at a presentation about how the OC River Walk, OCVibe and other nearby parks and trails already there and under development would all meld together to create a new public place for Orange County.

Rendering of Santa Ana River filled with water from feasibility study on creating the OC River Walk. (Courtesy of City of Anaheim)

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, attends a presentation about the development of OCVibe, a new cultural hub surrounding the Honda Center in Anaheim, and the neighboring OC River Walk, which will be adjacent to new city parks and trails by the Santa Ana River, with Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) as he tries to get more federal funding for the river walk project.  Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), attends a presentation about the development of OCVibe, a new cultural hub surrounding the Honda Center in Anaheim, and the neighboring OC River Walk, which will be adjacent to new city parks and trails by the Santa Ana River, as he tries to get more federal funding for the river walk project. He hosts House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rendering of Santa Ana River filled with water from feasibility study on creating the OC River Walk. (Courtesy of City of Anaheim)

The ambitious project would add inflatable rubber dams to the Santa Ana River to essentially create a lake with standing water, not only for recreation, but also to help replenish underground aquifers, officials said.

“Once you have water, water is life,” Correa said. “Wildlife comes back, people come to recreate; it helps the aquifers. And that’s what we want to do here.”

The city has explored the concept in recent years, hosting workshops and promoting the idea at events.

OCVibe is a $4 billion development anchored by the Honda Center adding new concert venues, dozens of restaurants, thousands of apartments and urban parks.

OCVibe’s publicly accessible parks will be built in the next few years adjacent to the Santa Ana River, where the city is also planning the 3-acre River Park, using property it has purchased along the riverbed.

The plan is for those OCVibe parks and new park space the city is developing nearby to all combine with the OC River Walk and work as one seamless area.

“You won’t know who owns what when it is all done,” said Dan Young, OCVibe’s executive development director.

Creating the OC River Walk would need substantial federal investment, part of why Correa invited Rep. Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat and the party whip, to the presentation. Correa described the OC River Walk in Anaheim as “the pearl on the string necklace” for transforming the Santa Ana River throughout the county into a destination.

Correa said serious investment is needed in the area, but once that is in place, the private sector can come in and add the amenities around it. He said Clark was there to see the vision “so she can help me bring back money” to Orange County.

So far, Correa has obtained $1.6 million in federal funding for the final design and construction of a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Santa Ana River in the area. He also put his support behind getting a study on the OC River Walk included in a federal water resources bill, which former President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this month.

The study will be done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Anaheim city spokesperson Mike Lyster.

Lyster said the city is being cautious with estimates for how long it would take to build up the river area, saying it’s a multi-decade plan that would need significant funding. The city is currently in the planning stages and sharing its vision with stakeholders to build consensus, he said, adding that it would be comparable to river walks in Portland or Sacramento.

“We always have to remind people we are a city home to many things,” Lyster said. “These were all big visions when they were first introduced and took many years to fully develop.”

The project includes stakeholders such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Orange County Flood Control District, the Orange County Water District, cities along the river and more.

Right now, the Santa Ana River is largely dry and acts as a flood control channel when major storms hit Southern California.

The Prado Dam near Corona, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns, controls water flow into the Santa Ana River. The barriers for the river walk could be lowered when major storms hit.

Correa said part of his push for the river walk is that northern OC doesn’t have as much green space compared to other areas like South OC.

“We forgot about great parks 100 years ago,” Correa said. “The orange groves are gone and we don’t have any outdoor stuff. We don’t have any recreation. My vision is to create a big regional park … People can come with families and enjoy entertainment here.”

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