Newport pledges to do more to fight spills

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- In a self-critical response to the Orange County

Grand Jury, the city has pledged to do a better job of responding when

restaurants dump grease into sewer lines.

The City Council unanimously approved the response at its meeting

Tuesday and directed Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff to prepare a report

within 120 days recommending ways to reduce the number of spills from

grease-blocked sewage lines.

The city is answering findings and recommendations in the grand jury’s

report: “Sewage Spills, Beach Closures -- Trouble in Paradise?” The

report was released April 25.

“We’ve done some of the things the grand jury asked, but we could be

doing more,” Kiff said. “We agreed to do more.”

The grand jury, in its report, found that 74% of the county’s sewer

agencies require grease traps -- a device that sifts grease out of lines

and into a holding tank -- in restaurants. Also, 66% have ordinances

prohibiting grease discharges.

The city, in 1996, passed a grease disposal device ordinance requiring

restaurants with new or remodeled kitchens to install some kind of

protective device. The city also prohibits grease discharges that would

damage sewer operations.

The jury also found that 27% of the county’s sewer agencies have rules

allowing them to inspect traps and maintenance logs and to enforce

violations.

“Since the date of this ordinance’s adoption, the city has not

inspected logs, inspected traps . . . nor issued a violation for improper

maintenance” of the traps, the city said in the response.

The council’s action was applauded by Defend the Bay founder Bob

Caustin, who has accused the city of lax enforcement in the past.

“I’m glad to see them taking steps that should have been done by

previous administrations,” Caustin said. “I’m glad to see them taking

that by the horns.”

Over the next four months, Kiff will develop ideas for educating local

eateries and cracking down on those that don’t respond to warnings.

One idea floating around is to require restaurants, when they renew

their business permit, to show proof that they have hired a

grease-control firm.

The city is also expected to step up inspections and enforcement.

Those who cause sewage to spill into Back Bay could be forced to pay for

cleanup costs, Kiff said.

“Our ultimate goal is no sewage spills,” Kiff said. “We can tolerate

some grease, but we won’t tolerate grease that results in a sewage spill

into the bay.”