Inlet could increase contamination at state beach
Kenneth Ma
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Building an inlet connecting the Bolsa Chica
wetlands to the Pacific Ocean could increase the potential for
contaminating the beach with bacteria, a county official said.
A 520-page preliminary report from state and federal agencies, which
becomes available today, outlines seven proposals to build a channel to
allow ocean water to flow into the wetlands to enhance and restore
wildlife.
The 1 1/2-year study suggests that building a channel will help
attract a greater variety of fish, seabirds and other coastal wildlife to
the area. The area was sealed from the ocean by duck-hunting enthusiasts
in 1899.
However, building an inlet could have some unwelcome consequences.
“There is a possibility of more postings,” but it would probably not
lead to an increase in beach closures, said Monica Mazur, an
environmental health specialist for the county’s Health Care Agency.
She declined to comment further, saying she has not yet reviewed the
report.
Some of the report’s alternatives may potentially modify the Garden
Grove Wintersburg channel, which could allow urban runoff to flow into
the ocean.
One alternative would create an ocean channel near the south end of
Bolsa Chica State Beach without modifying the flood control channel.
That version would not increase bacteria levels at the Bolsa State
Beach because warning signs and beach closures have not been proven to
originate from wildlife areas, said Dwight Sanders, chief of the
Environmental Planning and Management Division at the State Lands
Commission.
“You are only going to have closures if some flood flows from the east
Garden Grove [Wintersburg] channel are incorporated,” said Sanders, who
is one of the report’s three principal authors.
But, creating the channel would modify wave movement and currents
because an inlet would need to have jetties for protection. These jetties
may also change the way sand is deposited.
Many longtime surfers at Bolsa Chica State Beach say the channel may
come at their expense.
Bolsa Chica State Beach is “a nice place to surf. There are lots of
friendly people here,” said Gary Taylor, a Lakewood resident.
Taylor, who has been surfing at the state beach for 35 years, said he
is concerned a channel may flush out oil deposits from the wetlands into
the ocean.
“If you keep changing things, you are adding to the confusion and
messing with Mother Nature,” he said.
Randy Ferguson, a Seal Beach resident and longtime surfer, said the
ocean inlet will bring more contamination to the beach. Surfers, he said,
act as guinea pigs and will bare the brunt of the channel’s effect.
The preliminary report will undergo a 45-day public hearing process,
starting Friday, Sanders said.
If the inlet is created, the project -- including restoration work --
will probably cost more than $50 million, which will be paid from
mitigation funds from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, said Jack
Fancher, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
FYI
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Hearings are scheduled in Huntington Beach at 3 and 7 p.m., Aug. 31
They will be held at the City Council chambers, 2000 Main St.
THE REPORT
Copies of the report are available at Huntington Beach Central
Library, 7111 Talbert Ave., and libraries in neighboring cities. The
report can also be picked up in Huntington Beach at the Bolsa Chica
Conservancy, 3842 Warner Ave., and the State Lands Commission, 1700
Pacific Coast Highway.
The State Lands Commission can be reached at (916) 574-1880. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service can be reached at (760) 431-9440.
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