NEWPORT BEACH : Vote on Upper Bay Discharge Delayed

The Irvine Ranch Water District, upon the urging of the Newport Beach City Council, has postponed a vote on an environmental impact report involving a proposal to empty 5 million gallons of reclaimed waste water daily into the Upper Bay.

The board agreed to wait until Monday to review the report, giving Newport Beach officials more time to study it and the proposal.

Critics have said the project would damage the bay’s ecosystem by releasing added nutrients into the water, thereby increasing algae during the summer. Other critics contend the water will not be healthy to humans. Water district scientists have denied those allegations.

The Wetlands Water Supply Project, the water district says, would save as much as $30 million a year while supplying the migratory waterfowl ponds of the San Joaquin Marsh with reclaimed water during non-summer months. Newport Beach officials had endorsed the project in August on the condition that it would not hurt the bay.

Mayor John W. Hedges repeated that condition last week, although he emphasized that the council has no authority to deny the project. The council agreed last week to hire outside experts to review the environmental report.

“The City Council will do everything within our power to oppose this project if our consultants and our review conclude there is potential adverse impact on the environment or public health,” Hedges said in a written statement.

The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has final word on the proposal, has scheduled a hearing Dec. 1. The environmental impact report will be considered by the water quality board before a permit is approved.