Outhouse Revival : Upscale Laguna Beach Uses Outdoor Potties During Sewer Repair

Two days after moving into this upscale community, where sewer repairs began Wednesday, Drew Dougherty glanced over his shoulder at the portable toilets sitting at the curb and lamented the absence of amenities ordinarily taken for granted.

“No cable and no toilet,” said Dougherty, whose television wiring, like the neighborhood sewers, was disconnected. “It’s hell in this neighborhood.”

Under normal circumstances, the oceanfront Victoria Beach community--which includes the homes of actress Bette Midler and former football star O. J. Simpson--might seem like heaven. But on Wednesday, it was the starting point for repair crews who will spend the next month renovating a 50-year-old sewer pipe.

During that time, residents are being asked to stop using showers, washing dishes and flushing toilets from about 9 a.m. until midnight. To ease the frustration, the city on Wednesday began installing portable toilets along streets where work is under way.

In tackling the massive sewer project, the city chose for the first time to employ a repair technique that involves inserting a flexible plastic tube in the sewer line. The method eliminates the need for excavation--which could save $1 million, according to Fred Moore, sales manager for the company handling the repairs--but requires that homes in the immediate vicinity of the repair work undergo a one-time disconnection from sewer lines for about 15 hours.

Last week, as city workers began distributing notices in the neighborhood, residents wondered aloud whether the portable johns would strain relations or stimulate conversation in their community.

But Wednesday morning, after the bulky gray outhouses--one each for males and females on every affected block--were wrestled off a flatbed truck by a delivery man, they mostly sat empty in the sea breeze.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to use them, I really don’t,” said Laurie Kirkland, who was disappointed about the loss of water service because her 5-year-old daughter was sick. “I want her to steam in the shower and I want to cool her temperature down in a cool bath. I can’t do that, so I’m frustrated.”

So was Dougherty.

“It’s off to a friend’s house,” he said, standing outside his new home. “One more cappuccino and I’m going to be in trouble.”