Mixed reviews on bay watershed meeting

Noaki Schwartz

IRVINE -- The public meeting on the environmental health of Upper Newport

Bay and San Diego Creek held on Tuesday was said to be interesting -- by

those who were actually able to find the Irvine Ranch Water District and

slip a question into the agenda.

“It’s a very difficult place to find. I would say my issues are that the

meeting wasn’t long enough to cover the issue,” said Bob Caustin,

president of Defend the Bay, adding that the two-hour time frame was

unrealistic for the roughly 60 members of the public who wanted to speak.

The meeting was the first step in a two-year, $2.3 million study by

county representatives and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the

environmental condition of Upper Newport Bay and the San Diego Creek.

Organizers hoped to gather information and suggestions from the public.

Part of the reason for the time crunch was that the county added a

related study into the meeting, thereby having two public meetings in

one. In addition to the watershed feasibility study, officials also

presented the study on the toxicity of the Newport Bay watershed.

“The whole topic didn’t belong at all on the agenda. It was too

technical,” Caustin said.

One of the major issues outlined in the first study to improving the

condition of Upper Newport Bay and San Diego Creek is the increasing

urbanization surrounding these areas. Undeveloped open space acts as a

natural filter for pollutants and sediment prior to reaching the creek

and the bay.

Another issue was the increase in erosion, which leads to algae in the

water and hinders the public’s recreational use of the bay.

The other study revolved around assessing the toxicity levels of the

Upper Newport Bay watershed. The study examined the toxicity of animal

life, the accumulation of pesticides, the toxicity of sediment, and so

on.

“I thought it went pretty smoothly -- people gave us other ideas,” said

U.S. Army Corps Civil Engineer Jack Shea, who presented the watershed

study. He said community members can write to him about organizing

another meeting.

FYI

For more information, write to:

Jack Shea, civil engineer/study manager

Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

911 Wilshire Blvd., Room 1430

Los Angeles, CA 90017