Two D.C. bills offer funds for Back Bay

Paul Clinton

Work to cleanup the Back Bay is now in line for federal funding after

efforts by Rep. Chris Cox and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the agency said

Thursday.

Cox and Feinstein separately introduced bills that would amend a

federal law to authorize the secretary of the Interior to provide 25%

of the funding for water filtering by the Irvine Ranch Water District

along the San Diego Creek and the Upper Newport Bay.

Together, the two bills could provide as much as $19 million for

it and two other district projects in the county.

“Irvine Ranch Water District is thankful to Sen. Feinstein and

Congressman Cox for their leadership in helping secure funding for

these cutting edge projects,” district President Brian Brady said.

The district’s Natural Treatment System, as the project has been

known, would use man-made wetlands to remove sediment, harmful

nutrients, pathogens and other contaminates in runoff in the San

Diego Creek Watershed.

It is intended to improve water quality in the Upper Newport Bay.

It would be the largest watershed-wide project for runoff treatment

in the nation.

Some environmentalists have questioned whether the project would

encroach on private property. The district has said it would not

seize homeowners’ land to install the wetlands.

Jack Keating, of the Upper Newport Bay Friends and Naturalists,

said he supports the treatment system.

“I appreciate IRWD’s efforts to develop a system whose goal is to

improve water quality in the bay,” Keating said. “I hope this

collaborative effort will continue and ultimately the community and

bay will benefit.”

The water district, with the so-called Irvine Desalter Project, is

working to remove chemicals from the groundwater basin under the

former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

District officials have also said they hope to reduce the salinity

in drinking water and recycled water by constructing a pipeline to

reduce brine.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

paul.clinton@latimes.com.