City puts a hold on new pools and spas

The Laguna Beach City Council has said no more pools and spas, at least for now.

The council’s unanimous vote Tuesday to issue a 45-day moratorium on the approval of new design plans that include swimming pools or spas was one of several measures that it passed to boost water conservation in the city.

Council members also adopted an ordinance designed to allow homeowners to change their Design Review Board-approved landscaping plans to drought-tolerant vegetation without having to return to the board.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman suggested the moratorium on new pools. “It’s hard to tell people to turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth and yet we have these massive pools,” she said.

Applications on file with the city for pools that have not received Design Review Board approval are on hold. Pools approved by the board but not yet constructed are exempt from the moratorium.

City Manager John Pietig said he plans to return Aug. 4 with options that could include longer-term restrictions.

“We could introduce a provision to revisit the [swimming pool] issue if the drought ended or drought policies were eased or relaxed,” Pietig said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Design Review Board members are scheduled to discuss at their meeting next week four projects with pools, but they will not be able to take any action until the moratorium is lifted, city Zoning Administrator Nancy Csira wrote in an email.

Council members Tuesday also voted to waive building permit fees if the applicant intends to install a greywater system, which uses untreated water from hand washing, laundry and bathing to irrigate outdoor landscaping.

They also want staff to explore the possibility of bringing treated wastewater into the city’s drinking water system, known as direct potable reuse, and opportunities to capture rainwater during storms.

Mayor Bob Whalen urged the city and the two water districts that serve Laguna Beach to identify potential projects, such as adding recycled water lines, that could be eligible for state funding.

“There is so much money waiting to be dispensed that other jurisdictions are aggressively pursuing,” Whalen said. “We need to think bigger. All these things are fine, but they direct our citizens to turn off the tap. Laguna Beach [County Water District] customers are [relying] 100% on a potable system that is not sustainable. It’s not prudent to live that way.”

Resident Alan Boinus called for South Coast and Laguna Beach County water districts, which cover different portions of the city and have different rules, to mount a unified effort.

For example, South Coast limits outdoor sprinkler use to one day compared to Laguna Beach County’s two days.

“What is apparent is there seems to be a schizophrenic water policy in Laguna Beach,” Boinus said. “Having a bifurcated system is the wrong message to the public and to [the Design Review Board]. They are doing an impossible job of trying to figure out what water policy we should have.”

Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede concurred with Boinus and suggested several meetings with officials from the city, the water districts and the South Orange County Wastewater Authority to develop a comprehensive plan.

“I don’t get the sense that we are pooling our resources and really trying to come up with innovative ideas,” Zur Schmiede said. “I have no idea whether this [adding recycled water lines] has any possibility of happening, but I think we need to convene a meeting ... talk about what are some of the things we could do to generate new sources of water.”