NEWPORT BEACH
Newport Beach, the last holdout in a deal to turn the San Joaquin Reservoir into a storage site for reclaimed water, might finally agree to the plan if a meeting with the Irvine Ranch Water District in two weeks goes well.
In addition to Newport’s 1.2% share of the reservoir, the Irvine Ranch Water District wants to buy out the other owners. Those water districts--Huntington, Mesa Consolidated, South Coast, Laguna Beach County and Metropolitan--have agreed to sell their shares and move forward with the new plans.
Newport Beach has been putting off the decision because of concerns about the reservoir discharging treated waste water into the Back Bay. City Council members told water district officials that they would not sell their share unless they got a firm agreement to strictly limit discharge.
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