Frequent watering of new park raises questions in Newport Beach

On a typical day, the newly planted lawn at Newport Beach’s upcoming Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula is watered five to eight times, sometimes leaving pools on the grassy expanse.

The watering schedule has some residents questioning whether the city is dousing its new park too much in light of the state’s continuing drought that has resulted in Newport asking homeowners to let their lawns go brown to conserve water.

City officials say the frequent irrigation is necessary for the grass to take root following its planting roughly a month ago.

According to the State Water Resources Control Board, the city failed to meet its state-mandated water-reduction target for June. Newport was ordered to cut its water use by 28% from June this year to February 2016 compared with those months in 2013, but it managed to cut only 21%, according to the Water Resources Control Board.

The state agency has not released figures for July, but city officials say that based on their calculations, Newport Beach has met the reduction goal.

“We’re doing very well, even while we’ve had to water more than normal at Marina Park,” said Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon.

As is the case throughout the Balboa Peninsula, the water being used to irrigate the park is drinkable rather than recycled. Recycled water is used elsewhere in the city but is not available in the older part of town, according to city officials.

Some people passing by Marina Park on Wednesday afternoon said they hadn’t noticed the frequency of the watering. Others said they were not bothered by it.

But Dixon and Public Works Director Dave Webb said they have received complaints from some residents.

Though city officials say it may look like they’re wasting water at the new park, they contend the landscaping will actually consume less water in the long run. Webb said the city selected Sea Spray, a warm weather- and salty air-loving type of grass that is often planted in coastal areas because it is believed to require less-frequent watering over time than other types.

Since the Sea Spray was planted in mid-July, the city has been aggressively watering the site, Webb said. The shoots generally need to be kept wet during the first several weeks after planting to ensure they won’t die before they can establish roots in the ground, he said.

“We understand that people are concerned about water use,” Webb said. “So we built conservation into the project.”

Newport Beach began building Marina Park last year between 16th and 19th streets. The $38.3 million project includes the grassy public park, a 24,000-square-foot community and sailing center, a 23-slip marina, restrooms, a playground and a Girl Scout Leadership Center. The park, currently surrounded by a mesh-covered chain-link fence, is expected to open in December.

The city estimates that with conservation-friendly water fixtures inside the buildings and drought-tolerant landscaping outside, the site’s water consumption will be about 60% less than when it was a mobile-home park.

Newport Beach has replaced grass with artificial turf in some public parks, but Webb said it was decided early on that Marina Park should have a traditional grass field to better accommodate families looking to spend leisure time. Also, artificial turf is more expensive than natural grass, he said.

“Artificial turf is better for fields where people are playing sports, where it’s being more heavily used,” he said. “There’s still a place for real grass. It’s a desirable element to have in a park.”

Mayor Ed Selich said it’s important for the city to maintain grass at parks that people visit rather than on medians and other spaces that are strictly aesthetic.

“It doesn’t cause me any heartburn to use water for that,” he said. “It’s about using it judiciously.”