Water on the way to empty reservoir

June Casagrande

The long-empty San Joaquin Reservoir will soon be filled with

reclaimed water, officials said.

The City Council will get an update today from the Irvine Ranch

Water District on plans to use the reservoir to store reclaimed

water.

“One of the big concerns is that, compared to a blue water view,

this is pretty poor looking,” said Councilman John Heffernan, who

requested an update on the district’s plan.

In summer 2000, the Irvine Ranch Water District proposed using the

reservoir, empty since the early 1990s, to store its surplus

reclaimed water during the wet winter months, when demand is low. The

district sells reclaimed water, which is treated wastewater, for

irrigation.

Though environmentalists have a number of concerns about the

project, city staff supports it.

“We’re in favor of the plan because it gives residents their nice

water view on what is now an empty pit in the ground and also because

it helps the Irvine Ranch Water District better store and manage

their excess reclaimed water,” Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said.

The Harbor View, Newport Ridge and Newport Ridge North communities

all have views overlooking the reservoir.

The idea to use the reservoir as a storage facility is a response

to the district’s earlier plan to discharge the excess reclaimed

water into the bay.

But Bob Caustin, founder of environmental group Defend the Bay,

said that this will only be a temporary solution.

“When they increase their water production from 15 million gallons

a day to 27 million or 30 million, as is projected, we’ll be right

back where we are now,” Caustin said.

The group pushed unsuccessfully to impose the condition that the

district could use the reservoir only if they agree to never

discharge the reclaimed water into the bay.

Defend the Bay was successful, though, in its fight against use of

chlorine gas at the facility. The district has agreed to use a less

volatile form of chlorine to treat the water instead of transporting

the chlorine gas through residential areas and store it at the

reservoir for use, as it had planned.

“We’re pleased about that,” Caustin said.

District officials said they have not determined when they plan to

fill the reservoir.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].