LAGUNA BEACH
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A coalition of environmental groups is not satisfied with a new plan to divert urban runoff from the 800-home Crystal Cove development site into the sewer system.
Jeanette Merrilees, coordinator of the Save Crystal Cove organization, said the revised plan is a Band-Aid approach to a larger problem.
The mitigation plan is a popular one with developers at this time, who are dealing with increased water runoff from urbanization, Merrilees said.
The Irvine Co. proposed the diversion plan after the federal Environmental Agency and the California Coastal Commission objected to the developer’s original plan to channel water into two nearby creeks, Los Trancos and Muddy Canyon.
But the revised residential diversion plan does not address heavy water flow during the winter months or a heavy storm situation.
The Coastal Commission will review the Irvine Co.’s revised proposal this week, and plans to hold a special hearing on the issue in December.
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