Wary Homeowners Suggest Sites for Filtration Plant in Encino : Water: They attend a field trip to find a way to meet state standards for a nearby DWP reservoir.

Several Encino homeowner leaders who had expressed concerns about plans to build a filtration plant for the Encino Reservoir said Saturday that perhaps the plant could be built without marring the peaceful atmosphere of the surrounding, tony community.

Some concerns remain, they said after completing a tour of the reservoir. But the homeowners said they were encouraged by finding some potential sites for the facility.

“I think it was a wonderful opportunity,” homeowner Rhoda Rand said of the tour led by officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “We were looking for an area that does not impact anyone and I think we found it.”

The field trip was part of continuing efforts by DWP officials and a coalition of Encino residents to find the best way to meet newly imposed state water quality standards.

The reservoir is one of four DWP reservoirs that fall under the state Surface Water Treatment Rule, which imposes tougher health standards on reservoirs into which surface water flows. The surface water carries debris, such as animal feces, that can contaminate drinking water with viruses and bacteria.

To comply with the rule, the DWP must install filtration plants at the reservoirs, abandon or cover them, or install diversion systems that prevent surface water from flowing into them, officials said. DWP officials have said they believe that filtration plants are the most viable option.

DWP officials told the residents Saturday that the filtration plant would not increase noise or odor levels beyond its property line. The facility could also be made to look residential in nature, they said.

But neighbors of the reservoir, which they refer to as a lake, have feared, among other things, that the facility could degrade the aesthetics of the area where houses typically cost from $500,000 to $2 million.

The DWP, which just started its search, so far has identified three possible sites--a parcel on the east side of the reservoir near Adlon Place, an orange grove north of the reservoir off Encino Avenue and an area in the Sepulveda Basin.

Residents on Saturday pointed out some other possibilities, including two pieces of flat land on top of dikes to the south and southeast of the reservoir. It did not appear that buildings on these sites would affect the view from any houses.

“I think we need to move ahead, get this project done and get the water quality improved,” said Gerald A. Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino. “I don’t see this as a career project.”

However, Wayne Kruse, DWP senior planning engineer, cautioned that the department is at the “very beginning of the process.” The sites have not been ranked, nor have cost estimates or geological surveys of the areas been performed, he said.

An environmental impact report would be prepared for the plant, regardless of the site, and the project will be discussed at community meetings.

“I don’t think we can move too quickly because we have to reach a consensus,” Kruse said. “It’s a major decision for the community to make, and it’s a major decision for us to make.”