Cities prepared for water emergency

Greg Risling

NEWPORT-MESA -- The possibility of rationing water because of a shortage

wouldn’t happen in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa, officials said Tuesday.

In the wake of news that South County residents will probably have to

conserve water for the next 10 days because a major water main ruptured

Monday, Newport-Mesa officials said they are well-prepared for an

emergency.

“If a pipeline broke, we would be OK,” said Coleen Scarminach,

administrative services manager for the Mesa Consolidated Water District.

“In South County, they are nearly 100% reliant on imported water. That

isn’t the case here.”

Scarminach said it’s the complete opposite for Costa Mesa residents who

are served by the water district. Because importing water from other

areas was too expensive, the district decided to build a colored water

treatment facility that will be functional next July.

The primary source for a majority of the district’s water has been from

underground wells. When the plant is operational, the district will be

nearly self-reliant. Right now, the district relies on the Metropolitan

Water District to provide about 25% of its water needs.

Importing water costs $435 per acre-foot, while well water costs only

$150 per acre-foot.

“The more self-reliant we become, the less we are affected by [the

metropolitan district’s] lines breaking down,” Scarminach said. “We are

fortunate to have access to ground water, while a lot of South County

doesn’t have that same resource.”

In Newport Beach, city officials said it would take a three-pronged

failure to significantly reduce the water supply to residents. Because

the supply taps three different resources -- ground water in Fountain

Valley and two reservoirs -- the city would be hard-pressed to encounter

a major disaster.

“We have the largest backup water system in the county,” said Newport

Beach Public Works Director Don Webb. “To take us totally out of water,

it would take three simultaneous failures. The probability is very slim.”

Even with a water shortage, Newport Beach could draw from other agencies.

“Because of the mutual aid system we have, we could receive help from

Mesa or Irvine Ranch water districts,” Webb added. “But there isn’t an

agency in Southern California that can be 100% reliant on one system

alone.”