Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Laguna Beach mayor outlines plan to reduce reliance on imported water, cites Fountain Valley purchase and desalination study
Summary
Mayor Alex Runagi said the city aims to move away from 100% imported water by using a recently purchased Fountain Valley site with Newport Beach to supply roughly 60% of needs, and by studying the South Coast Water District Doheny desalination project; officials estimate about $1 million in annual ratepayer savings.
Mayor Alex Runagi said Laguna Beach is pursuing agreements and projects to reduce its current reliance on imported water and increase local reliability.
"We really don't wanna be in a position where we're relying on a 100% imported water," Runagi said during an interview on Fair Game Laguna Beach. He said the city secured a parcel in Fountain Valley that, in partnership with Newport Beach, could provide roughly 60% of the Laguna Beach water supply and reduce costs for ratepayers by around $1 million a year.
The move builds on long-standing local water rights. "We actually have water rights because in, in 1925, the water district was formed a hundred years ago," Runagi said, describing how early access to a groundwater basin shaped Laguna Beach's water systems even after saltwater intrusion reduced local groundwater availability.
Runagi, who said he serves as president of the Laguna Beach County Water District (the council acts as the board), said the city is also working with the South Coast Water District on the Doheny desalination project and expects cost estimates in September. He said combining the Fountain Valley supply and desalination work could move the city from near-total dependence on imported supplies to substantially greater local reliability.
Runagi described an on-site inspection of Colorado River facilities planned for September and said the city will seek formal approvals before finalizing the Fountain Valley arrangement. He said a ceremony in Crystal Cove is planned once agreements and approvals are in place.
The mayor framed the effort as both a reliability and a cost issue: local supplies would reduce vulnerability to outside sources and could lower rates, he said. He did not provide a formal timetable for the transition beyond the September cost estimates and the pending approvals in Fountain Valley. He also said further implementation details — including the specific share of supply from each project, precise savings calculations, and required regulatory approvals — were still being worked out and not fully specified.
The mayor's comments came during a wide-ranging interview that also touched on local events and other policy priorities.
