Correspondence

I would like to thank David Carlberg for his Jan. 4 letter (“Setting

record straight on runoff”) about the Bolsa Chica wetlands restoration

plan.

In his letter, he pointed out that the current plan would have the

Wintersburg Channel bypass the restored wetlands.

This is contrary to a quote attributed to me in your article “City

board seeks approval for Bolsa Chica restoration” (Dec. 14).

I was quoted as saying the city’s Environmental Board is “concerned

about the East Garden Grove Wintersburg Flood Control Channel, which the

report shows is flowing into the wetlands.”

Although the rest of the Dec. 14 article is accurate, I was misquoted

about the flood control channel. The report I referred to was not the

environmental impact report that described the restoration plan and seven

alternatives, but comments by the city to the state Land Commission about

the environmental impact report.

The city staff has stated the “restoration plan must include 100%

diversion of the Wintersburg Channel [from Huntington Harbor] into the

wetlands . . . “

Before these comments were sent to the commission, the Environmental

Board expressed in a letter to the city staff that this channel could

bring pollutants from a highly urbanized watershed, particularly during

storm, into the wetlands.

If an ocean inlet were constructed, these pollutants, including

bacteria, could migrate to the beaches, where swimmers would become

exposed to them.

The Environmental Board is concerned that the city staff’s

recommendation that this channel could be diverted into the restored

wetland could contradict the city’s interests of having pollution-free

wetlands and clean beaches.

However, the Environmental Board is aware the city must carefully

weigh potential impacts of the Wintersburg Channel runoff to Huntington

Harbor compared to diversion to the wetlands and eventually the beaches.

All the issues surrounding the restoration of the Bolsa Chica wetlands

need to be carefully weighed. The Environmental board is recommending

that the City Council take a position on the wetlands restoration plan in

the environmental impact report.

A key consideration for taking this position will be whether the

channel should flow into or bypass the restored wetlands.

JOHN SCANDURA

Vice chairman

Huntington Beach Environmental Board