S. County Water Plan Delayed After San Clemente Official Objects

A South Orange County water district on Wednesday delayed action on a plan to limit water distribution next year after a San Clemente city official charged that the proposal fails to allow for growth in the city.

“There are already a lot of permits approved” for new homes in San Clemente, City Engineer Bill Cameron said. “We’re looking at a significant increase in water demand next summer.”

Cameron voiced his concern as the board of directors of Tri-Cities Municipal Water District studied a distribution plan for next summer. The plan proposed limiting cities and agencies to the average amount of water they used this past summer.

Tri-Cities suffered a water shortfall in its reservoir in July and August as its users consumed more than the district could pump back in. That shortage caused San Clemente to implement cutbacks in water use by major developers in the city.

Cameron said San Clemente will need even more water next summer because of many new residences being built in the community. But a water district board member warned that giving more water to San Clemente means giving less to the district’s other consumers.

In addition to San Clemente, Tri-Cities provides water for the Capistrano Beach area of Dana Point and for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and San Onofre State Park, both in northern San Diego County.

The Tri-Cities staff was instructed to consult with Cameron and other San Clemente officials about population growth and to report on Oct. 18, when the board will reconsider the water distribution plan.

Dennis Erdman, board president, stressed that the board should not assume that more water will be available next summer. He noted that the district’s water shortage stems from having only one intake pipe to replenish its reservoir. A second pipe is scheduled to be built but will not be in service before early 1991.