San Juan Capistrano approves MOU for transfer of water & sewer services

The San Juan Capistrano City Council has approved a Memorandum of Understanding to set major deal points for the transfer and ownership and operation of the city’s water and sewer utilities to the Santa Margarita Water District.

Councilmember John Taylor says the water district will be able to provide a stable price structure for the city and rates will go down three to five percent.

He says the water district is also doing a great job of having diverse sources of water including a dam and storage reservoir for potential problems of imported water or a drought. It will also put in rubber dams in the city’s creeks which will dam up storm water that will percolate down into the aquifer allowing the district to get more water out of the ground. 

Taylor says the agreement between the city and the water district must gain approval by the Local Agency Formation Commission before its implemented, which he anticipates by spring of next year.