Reclaimed water leaks into tap system

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- The Bluffs homeowners association has stopped using

reclaimed water in its irrigation system after city officials discovered

it was leaking into the drinking water line.

“Unless we can be assured of no possible reoccurrence, we are

switching back to potable water,” said Kevin Shannon, general manager of

The Bluffs.

On Sept. 18, city water crews found a so-called “cross-connection”

between The Bluffs’ water systems. In a letter to residents, City Manager

Homer Bludau wrote that 80 homes in the area had been affected by the

back flow.

While reclaimed water may contain Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium

-- two parasites that can cause gastrointestinal illness with symptoms

such as diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea -- city officials said no

bacteria or parasites were found in drinking water after the leak was

discovered.

“We think that the intrusion was so small,” said Dave Kiff, deputy

city manager. “We also strongly believe that the flow wasn’t consistent

and only happened when the pressure was down.”

The Bluffs is a neighborhood of 647 homes bordered by Corona del Mar

High School, East Bluff Community Park and the East Bluff Village

shopping center.

The Bluffs switched from potable, or drinking, water to reclaimed

water to irrigate its 80 acres of greenbelts last January as part of the

1996 Green Acres Project agreement made between the city and the Irvine

Ranch Water District.

In order to prevent the district from releasing reclaimed water into

the Back Bay, the city agreed to find several areas in the city that

would use the water for irrigation instead.

Along with The Bluffs, the Newport Beach and Big Canyon country clubs

and the city made the switch to reclaimed water.

Eastbluff Elementary School began using reclaimed water for its soccer

field, as well. City officials said that because the school has a

brand-new system, no cross-flow between irrigation and drinking water

systems at the school could occur.

Shannon said that only one Bluffs resident had contacted him to find

out what steps had been taken to correct the problem.

An illegal tap line from a home into the irrigation system likely

caused the leak, Shannon added. For most of its 37 years of existence,

The Bluffs had used drinkable water for irrigation; it is suspected that

a former homeowner likely tapped into the system to reduce water costs.

Should the country clubs and the school decide to stop using reclaimed

water as well, it is possible the water district could ask the city for

permission to release it into the bay.

Kiff said no discussion had taken place about what would happen.

“Our concern is not with reclaimed water in irrigation settings, but

with reclaimed water near residential settings,” he said.

The city has agreed to shoulder the difference in water costs for The

Bluffs until the problem has been resolved. The association annually

spends about $175,000 on irrigation. Since potable water is 20% more

expensive than reclaimed water, the city will pay about $3,000 per month

to make up the difference.