Surf City leads effort to educate about urban runoff

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- City officials are planning a summit of Orange

County cities in the hopes of increasing awareness about urban runoff and

finding cooperative funding for cleanup efforts.

The forum plan comes in the wake of Gov. Gray Davis’ veto last month

of a $6.9-million bill meant to provide statewide funds to curb urban

runoff, pollution caused by fertilizers, illegal storm drain dumping and

other cityscape water uses from tainting beaches and watersheds.

About $4.9 million was destined for Orange County under the bill. Some

Huntington Beach officials said the measure failed because of a lack of

information.

“I’m not sure that people who don’t live near the coast understand the

significance of what it means and how urban runoff affects it,” said

Councilman Ralph Bauer, adding that runoff flows from the northernmost

part of the county, down the Santa Ana River and other flood channels,

ultimately ending up in the ocean where bacteria can force beach

closures.

The summit was initially proposed to the city by Councilwoman Pam

Julien, who is running for reelection in November, during the Oct. 2 City

Council meeting and met wide approval. At an earlier point during that

meeting, the Orange County Sanitation District officials offered to begin

absorbing urban runoff cleanup costs.

Blake Anderson, a general manager with the sanitation district, said

the county organization will pay $450,000 annually in water treatment

costs to clean up urban runoff, so long as the flow doesn’t exceed more

than 4 million gallons per day.

“This is a great illustration of the county starting to come together

to cooperate on this problem,” Bauer said, adding that he hopes the

summit brings other county agencies and cities together to come up with

alternate funding plans for urban runoff treatment. “Everyone uses the

beach for recreation, not just city residents, and the faster we can get

together and define how to fix the problem . . . the faster we’ll solve

it collectively.”

City officials said they have spent $2 million and about 14 months

studying how to deal with urban runoff and the scientific, financial and

social effects of higher water quality standards.

City Administrator Ray Silver said the summit is still a long way off

and must wait for an environmental report that is due out next month

before any action can be taken.

“After that,” he said, “we can go to the North County Watershed

Committee, which comprises city, county and other agencies, with our

findings.”