Leslie Daigle for Water Board

Our historic drought has brought important public scrutiny to the agencies that are responsible for delivering water to our homes and businesses.

With the encouragement and support of organizations such as the Orange County Business Council and the Orange County Taxpayers Assn., I decided to run for the Orange County Water District (OCWD) after serving 10 years on the Newport Beach City Council. Water quality has been one of my highest priorities and points of focus.

As I complete my last term, I'm turning my attention to the most important water issue of our time — the potentially devastating impact of drought on our community and the need for us to develop and implement new measures to assure a long-term supply of clean, affordable and abundant water to meet the diverse needs of a healthy, functioning city.

I learned that you must stick to the core mission, stay focused on new ways to achieve favorable results and not get distracted.

In this drought, it's particularly important to Irvine and Newport Beach that OCWD is run well. Sixty-five percent of our water comes from OCWD. But the district is in turmoil and distracted from its core mission.

Two years ago, the district announced a plan to access more water from Prado Dam — the storage reservoir near the 91 Freeway at Green River Road. The plan would have generated 35,000 acre-feet of additional water — enough to serve OCWD's entire service area for a year — but the district didn't follow through to secure necessary agency approvals, and the project has stalled.

Meanwhile, the district focused on giving a sole-source contract to locate a power plant in a residential neighborhood near Angel Stadium.

What does that have to do with increasing water supply from Prado Dam for Irvine and Newport?

Gov. Jerry Brown just signed legislation (Senate Bill 36) to force OCWD to disclose its power-plant scheme the next time it tries to slip it by the public.

I'm running because OCWD needs reform and focus. Sadly, it has strayed from its core mission. It's squandered over $20 million in legal settlements after losing lawsuit after lawsuit.

The drought gives me the chance to return OCWD to basics — providing a reliable supply of clean and affordable water.

I am asking for your support to make water — not power plants or feckless lawsuits — the highest priority of OCWD.

LESLIE DAIGLE is a member of the Newport Beach City Council and candidate for water board.

NEWPORT BEACH – Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle filed Wednesday for a seat on the Orange County Water District board, aiming to reform an agency that serves more than 2.3 million residents.

“The agency has lost its way,” said Daigle, 52, citing the District board’s vote on a proposed power plant in Anaheim.

Late last year, the board voted 6-4 to lease an area near the Honda Center to power plant operators. The project has since stalled after the operators failed to make Southern California Edison’s short list of providers.

The district “should spend time and energy on its core mission, which is providing abundant, clean and affordable water to more than 20 cities,” Daigle said.

A councilwoman for nearly 10 years, Daigle said she has championed several projects that improved water quality in the city and nearby areas. She advocated for an ecological restoration project in upper Newport Beach, pushed for dredging in Newport Harbor, and is now backing new runoff filters, which would further clean up the Upper Newport Bay.

The board seat, now held by Stephen Sheldon, represents portions of Newport Beach and Irvine. Daigle said she had gained endorsements from the mayors of both cities.

Daigle, who is termed out of the Newport Beach City Council this year, made an unsuccessful bid for state Assembly in 2012.

Remarkably, Newport Beach's water use between 2007 and 2013 was reduced an admirable 29% from 257 gallons per day per person to 190 gallons per day.

Still, our distressing drought continues, and there is only a glimmer of hope that a possible El Niño event this winter will give us relief.

So our already-admirable water conservation efforts need to continue and even improve in the face of a new directive from the State Water Resources Control Board to do more.

Our state leaders are considering a fall bond measure that would, in part, fund what I view as our highest statewide water priority: the creation of new storage to capture precious runoff that simply goes to the sea.

Meanwhile, conservation is our best course of action to maintain an adequate supply of water to serve the residential and commercial needs of our community.

As a reminder, Newport Beach residents get 70% of their water from the groundwater basin underneath Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. The remaining 30% is imported and includes Colorado River water.

Until California experiences new storms and increasing snow pack — and makes new efforts to capture and store more water for future drought conditions — here are a few great things we all can do to help conserve:

1.) Spend time with your sprinkler system. Watch it in action every month or so and see where it needs tuning up (less time here, a little tightening of a sprayer head there, fixing a broken nozzle). It's pretty easy to do on your own, but you can also seek the help of a gardener. Try to be the home that doesn't let any water leave your property.

2.) Investigate some high-tech sprinkler improvements, such as "smart" timers and high-efficiency "rotor" nozzles. The latter can use 30% less water.

3.) Move to a time-tested watering schedule. One is on http://www.watersmartnewport.org — a great site for many conservation-related tips and programs.

4.) Water early in the morning — not midday or late afternoon.

5.) Mulch more to keep more moisture in your soil.

6.) Consider less turf — it means less mowing too. Our city government is reducing grass in medians and some parks. Bonita Creek Park will soon have an artificial field, which will save water and make the field more usable.

7.) Check out California-friendly landscaping that requires less water. Rogers Gardens has great information and displays.

8.) Using a car wash is still the best way to get a car cleaned. Car wash water is usually recycled. If you must wash the car at home, use a hose with a shut-off nozzle, and try to keep the water on your property.

9.) Inside the home, shorter showers help, but so too does fixing leaking fixtures. (Here's a tip: Place a bit of food dye in your toilet tank to see if it leaks. If you see dye without a flush, something's leaking.) Try to capture the water that's wasted as you wait for the hot water to reach the tap — using that for your plants or lawn.

These efforts will make an important contribution toward keeping our water supplies strong, even as demand for water grows.

The improvements made in recent years are great foundations for us. Let's work for more.

LESLIE DAIGLE is the District 4 councilwoman in Newport Beach and a candidate for Orange County Water District Division 5.