Agencies to study filtering

Laguna Beach County Water District officials announced a $150,000 pledge to study the prospects of a regional ocean desalinization plant in Dana Point Monday.

Desalinization “” filtering salt from ocean water to make it potable “” is seen by the district as the most practicable means to reduce its reliance on imported water.

“The district’s board and commission have long considered desalinization a viable water supply option of Laguna Beach,” said Renae Hinchey, general manager of the county water district.

“However, the cost of pursuing the option on our own has been prohibitive. A regional plant, where costs are shared, benefits not only Laguna Beach ratepayers, but also all of South County.

“The time is now.”

At present, the district imports all water it supplies to residents from the northern border of the city to Nyes Place. The water is imported from the Colorado River and Northern California, but the supply has been severely affected by record dry weather and court decisions.

South Coast supplies water and sewer services from Nyes Place to the southern border of the city.

Both districts have asked their customers to voluntarily reduce water use by 20 gallons a day. Hinchey and South Coast General Manager Mike Dunbar predicted at the February Laguna Canyon Conservancy Dinner that mandatory rationing will be imposed as early as this summer, due to Metropolitan Water District cutbacks.

“Laguna Beach and South County cannot continue to rely on the dependability of imported water supplies,” Hinchey said.

Drilling in 2006 at Doheny State Beach by the Municipal Water District of Orange County showed favorable enough results to warrant an 18-month pilot plant to test the feasibility of a larger project, county district officials said.

Construction of the pilot plant is contingent on the number of south county agencies willing to participate. The more participants, the less money each agency would have to contribute.

The cost would also be offset by a state grant secured by the county district and the possibility of additional state and federal funding.