NEWPORT BEACH : Decision on Cover for Lake Postponed

The City Council this week put off a decision on whether to recommend covering the San Joaquin Reservoir to help improve water quality.

For the last three years, debate has focused over what to do about the reservoir. Some homeowners in the Harbor Ridge community above the reservoir want it left untouched so as to not ruin their blue-water views and hurt property values.

Water officials say a floating cover would be the most inexpensive and effective way to improve the water quality of the 55-acre reservoir, which serves 400,000 residents in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine and some unincorporated county areas. The floating cover would cost an estimated $20 million, acting Utilities Director Jeff Staneart said.

Staneart supports covering the lake, saying that it would “greatly improve water quality.”

Currently, water from the reservoir is not being used because of a high bacteria count caused by decomposing algae, bird droppings and other filth, Staneart said.

High doses of chlorine have been added to disinfect the reservoir that, since its opening in 1966, has been plagued by bacteria and other contaminants. In 1984, for example, 850,000 African clawed frogs infested the reservoir, forcing water officials to drain the facility and install traps.

Homeowners near the reservoir contend that the cost estimates of covering the reservoir are flawed and that a more thorough environmental impact report by the Metropolitan Water District should be conducted.

The Metropolitan Water District has agreed to extend the public comment period on its environmental impact study to Dec. 29. Then, on Feb. 8, the City Council will decide whether to recommend the cover to the Metropolitan Water District.