Newport reservoir has got its cover

Andrew Edwards

Nobody wants to share drinking water with algae and bugs.

On Wednesday, Newport Beach officials joined Rep. Chris Cox to

formally dedicate a $5.8-million cover that was installed to keep

algae blooms and midge flies out of Big Canyon Reservoir.

“We’re very happy -- we’re just down the hill -- that we have this

clean secure source of drinking water,” Cox said.

Big Canyon Reservoir, which stores Newport’s emergency water

supply, was drained in October 2003 to make way for the cover

project. While the reservoir was out of commission, the city relied

on water drawn from wells in Fountain Valley and purchased from the

Metropolitan Water District.

The City Council presented Cox with a plaque to thank him for

lining up $867,000 in federal funds to help to pay for the cover. The

remainder of the bill came from the city’s coffers.

“It’s really, really nice to be honored for the act of giving you

your money back,” Cox said.

The reservoir’s black polypropylene cover was installed in

October. With the lid installed, the reservoir looks like a football

field protected by a tarp during rain.

When the San Joaquin Reservoir was dedicated last month, residents

whose homes overlook that reservoir said they were glad to look out

over water.

Homeowners above the Big Canyon Reservoir do not enjoy a water

view. Principal civil engineer Michael Sinacori said he began

outreach efforts as early as 1993 to promote the project to

residents.

“There were the obvious questions: What’s it going to look like?

What are you going to do to mitigate the view?” Sinacori said.

Sinacori said residents he spoke with accepted the effect on their

views because the project was designed to safeguard water quality.

The city planted trees and cleaned up the area around the reservoir

to make the site more attractive.

No substantial changes have happened at the reservoir since the

cover was installed, Newport utilities director Eldon Davidson said.

However, the current cover at Big Canyon won’t last forever.

“Every 20 years there’s going to be a replacement,” Davidson said.

Replacement costs for the next cover won’t be as high as the

installation bill, Sinacori said. The expected cost to replace the

cover material, which will likely develop pinholes over time, is

about $2 million, accounting for inflation.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.