Storm Runoff to the Ocean

David Beckman’s Dec. 7 commentary on storm runoff tainting coastal waters states that “the regional board needs to cease its endless discussion with the polluters.” The general public reading this would infer that there are some giant corporations out there that are getting away with something. This is far from the truth.

End-of-pipe treatment works fine for industrial and municipal discharges but is not practical for storm runoff. Controlling at the source means education of the public. Some measures may include: no more leaf blowers blowing contaminant-laden dust and dirt into the gutters, no more old cars with leaky oil pans and transmissions on the road, no more car washing in driveways, no more “mom and pop” restaurants washing greasy floor pads and dumping soapy water into the gutters. It might also mean getting the homeless encampments, all lacking sanitary facilities, out of the channels and rivers. It might mean controlling the runoff from horse stables. For those in Malibu, it might mean getting rid of the septic tanks, which contribute nutrients and pathogens to the Malibu Lagoon and the coastal waters, when high storm surges destroy cesspools beneath beachfront homes.

JOSEPH C. REICHENBERGER

Assoc. Prof., Civil Engineering

and Environmental Science

Loyola Marymount University

* Re “Preparation Pays Off in Season’s First Big Storm,” editorial, Dec. 9:

Before you pat city engineers on the back too much, what about the severe shortfalls in existing city planning? I moved here from Seattle about 10 years ago, and the drainage systems here still astound me in their ineffectiveness. I lived in Seattle for over 20 years and not once did I see my neighbors’ houses slide downhill. Yes, I did live on a hill. We had these things called ditches that ran down the hill alongside and under the streets, not over them. There were also drains in the street to give the water somewhere to go.

Maybe L.A. engineers could benefit by going to a city where it rains more than a few inches a year and learn how it’s done.

BRUCE BARR

North Hollywood