Hearings to look at beach closures

Eron Ben-Yehuda

With the source of beach contamination off Surf City’s shores still a

mystery, Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) will host a public

hearing at City Hall today to discuss a state law that forced beach

closures during the summer.

“If you think the water’s unclear, wait until you see the law,” Baugh

said in a press release.

Assembly Bill 411, which became law in July, applies new, stricter

standards that require health officials to take immediate action when,

for example, the level of enterococcus bacteria exceeds 104 organisms per

100 milliliters of water.

The trouble is the law offers little guidance about when to reopen the

beaches after pollution returns to an acceptable level, Baugh said.

“The community simply doesn’t know when the beach will be closed or

open,” he said. “They don’t know what the standards are, and we want to

address that uncertainty.”

The Orange County Sanitation District will make a presentation to a panel

of water pollution experts from the California Department of Health, the

state Water Resource Control Board, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality

Control Board and Heal the Bay.

About 125 city and county officials from Ventura to San Diego are invited

to attend the hearing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.