Editor,
Why doesn’t Laguna Beach have a citywide reclaimed water system like surrounding cities?
Laguna Beach County Water District has no reclaimed water system. Ten million gallons of wastewater are now discharged to the ocean every day from the Coastal Treatment Plant in Aliso Canyon. This water could be reclaimed to irrigate landscapes in our district if the pipes were in place to take it where it is needed.
We could be seeking lucrative state grants to build a reclaimed water system for regular landscape irrigation of our city parks and for wildfire prevention and suppression.
A wise investment now could keep our community landscapes beautiful and suitable for active play, as well as significantly reduce future damages from the next wildfire event.
High purity reclaimed water pumped to Moulton Meadows Park can also service new fuel modification zones in Nyes and Oro Canyon. Distribution lines would transport water across the Laguna ridgeline to Top of the World and eventually downtown as indicated in the map submitted by the South Laguna Civic Association to City Council and South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA). This system keeps the new piping on existing paths and streets, and provides a direct route from the treatment plant to areas where the water is needed most—our city parks and open space edges.
You can be part of a sustainable solution to protect our City and greenbelt by contacting the mayor and your favorite City Council member to urge action to install distribution lines for a reclaimed water system in Laguna – sooner rather than later.
Greg O’Loughlin, Laguna Beach
The author is president of the South Laguna Civic Association.
