O.C. water district will compensate two cities

June Casagrande

The Orange County Water District has agreed to compensate the two

cities for costs incurred when a potentially cancer-causing solvent

was found in local water supplies in January.

The district will pay $186,000 to Costa Mesa and $157,000 to

Newport Beach to compensate them for having to buy water from other

sources in January after the district discovered the potentially

carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.

“It was a unique situation,” said Ron Wildermuth, a spokesman for

the water district. “They erred on the side of caution.”

Both cities stopped using water from the aquifer managed by the

water district in late January after the potentially dangerous

chemical found in industrial solvents was discovered in the

underground aquifer that serves Newport-Mesa.

For a four-day period, the cities paid a higher price for water

imported by the Metropolitan Water District and other sources.

No standards exist for acceptable levels of 1,4-dioxane in

drinking water, but water district officials said they believe the

amounts that were present in Newport-Mesa water supplies were not

high enough to pose a health hazard.

The switch cost about $157,000 for Newport Beach and about

$186,000 for Costa Mesa.

The Orange County Water District found the source, a single

company in Santa Ana, and put a near-immediate stop to the problem.

Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway asked the water district in

February to reimburse the city, arguing that the additional costs

were the district’s responsibility.

“Under the circumstances, we think it’s appropriate we get

reimbursed for that,” Ridgeway said.

Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff, who worked with the water

district on reimbursement, said he was please that the district’s

board agreed to reimburse the city.

“I really appreciate the fact that the water district board was

open to reimbursing us the full amount,” he said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.