San Clemente Completes Water Deal With Marine Base : Utilities: Officials say supplies piped from Camp Pendleton will cost 25% less than what is being paid to city’s main supplier, the Metropolitan Water District.

City water customers will see their rates go down because of a water rights lease recently approved with Camp Pendleton, water district officials told the City Council on Wednesday.

Contradicting earlier concerns expressed by the council and community, Tri Cities Water District officials said underground water piped from Camp Pendleton will cost 25% less than water from the district’s current supplier.

“The Metropolitan Water District has told us their rates will double in the next five to seven years,” said Craig Strickland, a Tri Cities board member. “Therein lies the benefit.” The estimated $5-million cost of drilling the wells will be paid by Tri Cities. The Marine Corps will repay its half of construction costs by giving water to the district.

District officials said the project could be completed by 1995.

San Clemente water users make up about 70% of the district’s 70,000 customers. The district also serves portions of San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point.

Known as the San Mateo Groundwater Basin, the underground reservoir holds enough water--about 2,000 acre-feet--to supply San Clemente and other district customers for several months in case of a water emergency.

Although the basin will be used as an emergency backup, the district will be able to draw the water under other circumstances. For example, if Tri Cities’ main supplier, the MWD, increased its rates beyond what Camp Pendleton would charge for water use, the local agency could tap the underground reservoir.

There will be some limits on the amount of water the Tri-Cities district can use, although exact amounts haven’t been established yet, say Marine officials.

The MWD is offering rate credits to Southern California agencies that find new water supplies within their districts.

Resident Karolyn Koester questioned the quality of the water, saying another Camp Pendleton reservoir had been fouled by waste water from the base’s treatment plant.

But Marine officials said the San Mateo Basin is not connected to that water treatment plant, and the water there is of high quality.

Critics say the water agency completed the deal to stave off consolidation of the Tri-Cities district with three other local water authorities, an idea being considered by the county.

Last week’s agreement was the result of about five years of discussions with Camp Pendleton officials, who might not want to work with a new, consolidated agency.

The contract allows the Marines to back out if a new water agency is created.

But Col. Steve Fisher, community planning officer for the base, said, “We think the deal has merits no matter who will be there,” he said. “Wejust needed to protect ourselves (with an escape clause) because this is our sole source of water and we’re going to protect it.”