More Cohesive Water Planning Urged in South County

More efficient planning for managing waste water in south Orange County is hampered by too many agencies providing services, too much overlap of their boundaries and not enough cooperation among them, according to a report released Monday by the Orange County Grand Jury.

So far, the dozen special districts and cities that provide water and sanitation services in the area have met the need, the report conceded. Still, some district directors make decisions “more influenced by politics” than by long-term regional needs, the report complained.

The 61-page report echoes many criticisms made in 1982 by the county’s 1981-1982 grand jury.

The report was prepared by the grand jury’s environmental committee, which considered whether a single agency should be formed in the south county to coordinate management planning for waste water. The panel did not consider quality of treated or untreated water in the area.

Its report concluded that consolidation of two south county water-planning coordination agencies--the Aliso Water Management Agency and the South East Regional Reclamation Authority--would be too difficult at this time. But it recommended consolidation of some special water and sanitary districts and urged county and local officials to work together more often on long-range projects and financing.

The two agencies represent seven water districts, two sanitary districts and three cities. The districts collect taxes to build and operate such things as water treatment facilities. Some cities also have that function.

The report recommended:

- That the three water districts that now have jurisdiction over parts of the Dana Point area, which officially becomes a city in January, be consolidated into one district inside the new city’s boundaries.

- That the county Board of Supervisors establish an information clearinghouse about waste water with its own county employee.

- That the supervisors empower the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission to initiate the consolidation of special districts. LAFCO, the county’s boundary-setting agency, now can act on such consolidations only if petitions are filed by governmental entities.