Debate Scheduled on Bay Discharge Plan
Irvine Ranch Water District officials will debate community members Thursday over a plan to discharge millions of gallons of recycled waste water daily into Upper Newport Bay.
Water district President Darryl Miller and executive director Ronald Young will argue for the district’s proposal.
Bob Caustin, a Newport Beach resident who founded the nonprofit group Defend the Bay to contest the water disposal plan, and Gordon Labedz, a physician and Surfrider Foundation spokesman, will challenge the project, which they contend would damage the bay’s ecosystem.
During winter months, the water district has an excess of treated sewage, and it pays the Orange County Sanitation District to dispose of it.
Water district officials maintain that the district could save that money by filtering 5 million gallons of water daily through 70 acres of duck ponds that drain into San Diego Creek, a tributary of the bay.
On April 19, the state Water Quality Control Board will review a proposal for a two-year demonstration of the project.
The public debate, the second on the issue within two weeks, will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd. It is sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization that monitors coastal issues.
Information: (714) 631-6273.
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