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.
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