Plan to Refill Reservoir Draws Protest : Monterey Park: As workers repair cracks, residents and city officials vow to close it permanently.

Invoking the Nimitz Freeway collapse during the Bay Area earthquake, angry residents rallied Tuesday outside the gates of the Garvey Reservoir.

As the group chanted “Close it, close it!” workers continued to repair cracks in the facility, which opponents say should be permanently closed.

With the dam looming behind him and a crowd of three dozen residents cheering, Councilman Barry L. Hatch declared: “They will never refill this reservoir. We will fight and fight until they remove it from this site.”

“We’re not hysterical,” said Phyllis Rabins, a community activist who helped organize the protest. “We’re not exaggerating. The only thing that would make me happy is when (the reservoir) goes bye-bye, adieu. “

Rabins held a sign which said: “Garvey Reservoir--A Nimitz Freeway Waiting to Happen,” in reference to the the double-decker road that collapsed onto vehicles during the Bay Area quake in October.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which runs the 41-acre reservoir, drained it early this month after the discovery of a crack, which had contributed to flooding around at least a dozen nearby houses. Since then, inspection crews discovered a second crack in the bottom.

No amount of assurances from the water district has been able to assuage many worried residents. The issue has even united those who normally differ on local political issues.

In response to the concerns, Monterey Park officials have called for a full investigation into the problems and have waged a letter-writing and phone-calling campaign with state officials and with the Division of Safety of Dams in the state Department of Water Resources.

Hatch, citing a report by the city’s consulting engineer, said that water district officials knew as long as 18 months ago that the reservoir was leaking. Because of this, he said, the district cannot be trusted to adequately make repairs.

“It’s a faulty reservoir with faulty engineering,” Hatch said, alluding to the prospects of water descending from on high and flooding homes surrounding the facility, which overlooks the city.

In an exchange outside the gate Tuesday, a water district spokesman disputed some statements made by the opponents, including the charge that the district knew about extreme leakage but took no action 18 months ago.

“Common sense,” Hatch said, “tells you (the reservoir) can’t be filled again.”

Replied Jay Malinowski, of the water district: “Common sense will tell you that we’re not going to put that reservoir back into service without it being safe.”

Malinowski added that he understands their concern, but it was inaccurate to say the dam is unsafe.

A man in a golfing cap had an answer. “I understand that the Baldwin Hills people got one hour’s notice to get out of town,” he said, referring to the 1963 dam collapse that killed five people when 290 million gallons of water and debris cascaded into a Los Angeles neighborhood.

“There’s no relation between the two,” Malinowski replied.

Although the complicated and expensive repairs may take until next summer to complete, water district officials said they have no intention of closing the reservoir, a major link in the water supply system for Los Angeles County.

“We’re moving heaven and earth to try to get back on line for the summer months, our peak demand season,” Malinowski said. “But we’re not going to compromise safety.”

Carl Boronkay, general manager of the water district, said no expense will be spared in repairing the reservoir.

But residents who say their houses were damaged by the flooding are upset with the district’s attitude. Sam Sum, whose house was surrounded by water, said pumps installed by the city are still removing water.

“They have treated us like a dog or cat, like we’re an animal. Nobody cares,” Sum said. It was not enough, he said, that the water district held an informational meeting for residents on Dec. 2.

The contentious approach by city officials and residents, Malinowski said, makes for a difficult situation.

“We’ll try to work with the city, but there are some people in the city who are intractable. They think the only solution is to remove the reservoir. But in terms of the water supply for about 7 million people, that just can’t happen,” he said.