SAN CLEMENTE

The South Coast Water District has postponed plans to assume control of the Tri-Cities Municipal Water District until June to ensure the merger goes off without a hitch.

Earlier this week, South Coast Water District General Manager Michael Dunbar informed Tri-Cities officials that plans to merge the two entities by the end of the year were being put on hold to allow enough time to prepare for the transition.

“If we can get all of these issues resolved, then certainly we’ll assume the operations before then,” he said. “We wanted this June 30 date to give us the time to put all of these things together.”