LAGUNA BEACH : Residents Are Asked to Suspend Watering

Water department officials are asking residents in Laguna Beach, Emerald Bay and north Dana Point to not water their yards from Monday through Feb. 26 because a major supply line to the area will be under construction.

Officials with the Laguna Beach County Water District, which imports its water supply, said the relocation of a major pipeline in Irvine that week will leave its service area relying on a smaller, alternate supply.

“We want to make sure we don’t put too great a strain on that alternate supply, so we’re asking people to suspend irrigating their lawns,” district engineer Jim Nestor said.

Putting a strain on the backup supply might compromise public health or fire protection services, Nestor said. “We don’t anticipate any problems though,” he said.

The Aufdencamp Transmission Main in Irvine is being relocated near the intersection of Sand Canyon Avenue and Alton Parkway to make way for the nearby construction of a hospital. That main, which runs beneath Laguna Canyon Road, provides Laguna Beach with a significant amount of its water.

Full service should be restored by noon Feb. 26, officials said. For more information about the construction’s effects or water conservation, call the Laguna Beach County Water District engineering department at (714) 494-1041.