IRVINE : Turtle Rock’s Water May Taste Different
Residents of the Turtle Rock community near UC Irvine may notice a different taste in their tap water beginning Sunday because of a pipeline project connected to the reconstruction of the Santa Ana-Costa Mesa freeways interchange.
Reconstruction of the interchange will put a major Orange County water pipeline out of service for eight days while it is moved. For those eight days, water districts from Irvine southward have agreed to shift supplies to make up for the lost water.
During the temporary shift, Turtle Rock residents will receive undiluted water from the San Joaquin Reservoir rather than their normal supplies from the state aqueduct or the Colorado River. Residents accustomed to getting their water from those sources may notice that the reservoir’s water has a different taste, said Dave Ferguson, assistant to the finance director at the Irvine Ranch Water District.
Turtle Rock residents might also notice a stronger chlorine taste because water from the open-air reservoir needs to be chlorinated when pumped out, Ferguson said. Water district officials added that there is no difference in the quality of the water.
The shift in water supplies originally was to take place Jan. 12 but was rescheduled to begin Sunday due to changing construction timetables.
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