Anaheim’s ambitious push to turn the often-dry Santa Ana River into a river walk with ample water and activities for the public is estimated to cost $200 million, according to a city budget overview.
OC River Walk would add inflatable rubber dams to the Santa Ana River near Angel Stadium to create a riverbed with standing water. Along the Santa Ana River, the city would construct new park space with trails and terrace steps for what’s envisioned as a destination for the region.
City spokesperson Mike Lyster said the $200 million figure is an estimate of what it would cost to build today, but there are no plans to begin construction anytime soon. The big costs are building the dam system, embankments and a pedestrian bridge.
Currently, city officials are studying the project with grant support from other levels of government and a nonprofit. Where new trails and bridges might go is all to be determined. The city anticipates studies on planning and design will take through at least 2030 and has the funding identified for that.
The OC River Walk would extend about two miles from Ball Road near the Anaheim Coves to Orangewood Avenue and total 100 acres. Renderings from the city envision people kayaking and being able to look out on the water from steps built into the embankment.
Lyster said the city would not foot the entire bill itself for what is considered a multi-decade project. Anaheim would seek support from federal, state and county sources to make the OC River Walk a reality.
“We always remind people that we are a city that has done big things,” Lyster said, pointing to the city’s development in the past of Angel Stadium, Honda Center and Anaheim Convention Center.
“People may have said, ‘How are we going to do that?’ And we’re proud to say we did that,” Lyster said.
The city is drawing inspiration from river walks around the country, such as in San Antonio and Sacramento, and a planned one in Denver, Lyster said.
With standing water in the Santa Ana River, water would be able to percolate into and recharge an underlying aquifer that provides the majority of the supply Anaheim residents drink. The $4 billion OCVibe development neighboring the proposed Santa Ana River location will also construct publicly-accessible parks that would eventually play off the OC River Walk and make it one seamless area, officials have said.
U.S. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, brought Democratic whip Rep. Katherine Clark to Anaheim to receive a presentation on the project, saying it would need substantial federal funding support.
The Santa Ana River was temporarily dammed once in 1996 for a jet ski competition. City officials will have to decide what kinds of activities to allow on the river.
The city’s new $5 million River Park is set to start construction in summer 2026. The park between the “Big A” at Angel Stadium and the Santa Ana River would later become a part of OC River Walk features.
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