FALLBROOK -- A water quality expert will advise the Rainbow Municipal Water District on how to best protect the district's four active and uncovered reservoirs, which were cited by the state for numerous violations two years ago after dead animals and debris were found floating in some of them.

The expert, Issam Najam of Northridge-based Water Quality and Treatment Solutions, will give a presentation at 10 a.m. Wednesday at a special meeting of the Rainbow Municipal's board of directors at district headquarters, 3707 Old Highway 395.

Najam will review the district's plan for dealing with the reservoirs, which store all of the district's drinking water, purchased from the San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District.

All four reservoirs are west of Interstate 15. The North and Northside reservoirs are each about two miles west of Rainbow. The Beck reservoir is on Citrus Road, just north of Pala Mesa Road, and the Morro reservoir is just east of Sleeping Indian Road, about three miles west of Bonsall.

A 2005 citation from the California Department of Health Services said the open reservoirs could lead to contamination of the water supply. Rainbow officials have said that water in the reservoirs is disinfected before it is delivered to customers, and that it is safe to drink.

In response to the citation, the Rainbow board voted to cover the reservoirs with a floating membrane, somewhat similar to a floating cover on a pool. However, that work appears to be years away.

"There's a lot to consider and it's good to have an expert look at this for us," district engineer Brian Lee said Wednesday.

In April 2006, district directors hired Hilts Consulting Group for $766,700 to design a floating cover for Morro Reservoir. The floating shield would be similar a swimming pool cover. Lee said 90 percent of the design work is done.

"Floating covers were initially the least expensive and effective option," Lee said. "Floating covers are still considered the best value for Morro, North, and Northside."

It's unclear how much the district will pay for Najam's advice. Najam is already under contract with Foley & Lardner, a law firm representing the water district in an unrelated matter, so the fee for analysis will be negotiated with the law firm, Lee said.

Ken Klein, the Foley & Lardner attorney handling the Najam contract, could not be reached for comment Monday.

A federal law passed in 2006 calls for water agencies to either cover their open and active reservoirs or to specially treat the water as it comes out of the reservoir by April 1, 2009. Districts that can't meet that time frame must have a plan and schedule to do so approved by the state by the same deadline.

"With the federal requirements, we need to have a good plan for caring for these reservoirs now and in the future, and we need to take another look at all the options," Rainbow Municipal's board President Rua Petty said on Friday.

Lee said the up-front cost of treating the water is typically cheaper than the up-front cost of covering the reservoirs, but that treatment tends to be more expensive over the long term.

- Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (760) 731-5798 or lfleming@nctimes.com.