NEWPORT BEACH : Irvine Water District to OK Sewage Report
The Irvine Ranch Water District on Monday is expected to certify a controversial report that outlines the impact of emptying millions of gallons of reclaimed water into Upper Newport Bay during winter months.
Last week, the City Council vehemently opposed the project. Opponents have said it would endanger the ecology of the bay and pose a public health hazard. The project proposes to release 5 million gallons daily of highly treated sewage water into San Diego Creek near the Irvine-Newport Beach boundary and, eventually, into the bay.
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board has final word on the proposal.
By certifying the environmental impact report, the water district will be able to seek approval from the board of another two-year trial project.
That project would filter San Diego Creek water into ponds, creating wetlands, before it flows into the Upper Bay, during the summer months. Department of Fish and Game officials previously had been opposed to the winter project, but are now supportive of the combined projects.
District officials say the two plans would save the district $20 million in five to 10 years that would have been paid to the county sanitation district to dispose of sewage.
The district’s Board of Trustees meets Monday at 6 p.m. at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine.
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