Briefly in the news

-- Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- An early morning water problem put the squeeze on some

residents who awoke Friday to find nothing but a trickle of water from

their faucets.

It took about one hour to regain water pressure, but between 6 and 7

a.m., residents west of Jamboree Road and north of Pacific Coast Highway

and some in Corona Del Mar had no flow from their taps, said Don Webb,

director of public works.

The outage ended when the city activated a backup water system from

ground water wells in Fountain Valley.

“We tried to react as quickly as possible,” Webb said.

Public works officials worked to correct the problem, which originated in

the Metropolitan Water District’s supply line that feeds into the city.

Nearly 100 residents called City Hall around 7 a.m. to report the outage.

But Webb said he already knew about the problem before he answered his

phone.

“I learned about this in the same way as everyone else this morning, when

my wife didn’t have any shower pressure,” Webb said.

Webb says the backup systems will remain in place. Residents should not

experience the same problem today.