Dogged reservoir project covered

Alicia Robinson

Water will soon be flowing back into the Big Canyon Reservoir, but

its new, city-installed lid will leave avid water-viewers

disappointed.

For about 40 years, the reservoir on Pacific View Drive held

drinking water that served most of Newport Beach. The city emptied it

in October 2003 to install a floating plastic cover, a measure

mandated by the state health department to protect drinking water

from animal droppings, bug infestations and other contaminants that

can fall or live in the water.

“It’s a major water-system improvement because it will greatly

improve the water quality of our system, and it will eliminate the

annual algae blooms and midge-fly infestations that we were getting

annually because of the uncovered reservoir,” city utilities director

Eldon Davidson said.

The cover is now in place, and it’s been a long time coming. City

officials have been planning construction of the cover and related

improvements since 1994, but they waited to build in hopes of

capturing federal funding.

“I’ve been working on the funding for four years,” Davidson said.

“The city was also trying to get other projects funded through

federal programs, and it just wasn’t the top priority in those

years.”

There was a lot of competition for federal money, but with the

help of Rep. Chris Cox, the city last year secured $867,000 for the

roughly $6-million project. The city paid for the rest.

The cover is made of polypropylene and had to be sewn together

like a giant quilt, said Mike Sinacori, the city’s principal civil

engineer. It floats up and down with the water level through a system

of floats and weights, and it’s bolted down at the sides so it stays

in place.

“It’s like a big, plastic, floating pool cover, like you have in

your backyard -- just bigger,” Sinacori said.

One or two employees will be assigned full-time to keep the

23-acre cover clean and free of animal droppings, which can eat

through the polypropylene.

While converting to a covered reservoir, the city also changed the

water-disinfection process from one that uses volatile chlorine gas

to one using a combination of liquid bleach and ammonia, which is

safer, Sinacori said.

The city will begin filling the 200-million-gallon reservoir today

or Tuesday, and it should take several weeks to fill. The cover

installation was supposed to be finished by Dec. 31, but the

contactor got it done two months ahead of schedule to earn a bonus,

Sinacori said.

Since the reservoir was emptied, Newport Beach residents have been

getting water from the Municipal Water District. The Big Canyon

Reservoir is an important provider of household water for the city,

but it also stores emergency water supplies.

“It’s been a long project, so we’re glad to see it actually

getting going,” Sinacori said. “I think people are going to be more

excited that they get their emergency water back.”

Councilman John Heffernan, who lives just below the reservoir,

said no residents have complained to him about the construction, and

that’s a positive sign.

“I haven’t had one call, so I guess the city’s done a pretty good

job,” he said. “It’s a big deal for the city, because that’s the

major drinking-water supply for the whole city.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].