El Morro plan meets cool reception

Deepa Bharath

CRYSTAL COVE -- A plan released Thursday that State Department of

Parks and Recreation officials see as a “proactive approach” to protect

the cove, El Morro Mobile Home Park management sees as a troubling “red

herring.”

State Parks Officials announced Thursday that they expect to begin

repair work on a septic tank at the mobile home park within the next four

to six months.

According to the department, fixing the tank is an aggressiveremedy to

prevent it from polluting Crystal Cove State Park.

But it’s a move being made when the state is not even sure if that

part of the ocean -- awarded an A-plus by Heal the Bay to date -- has

been polluted, said El Morro Village Inc. spokesman Stuart Byer.

Byer also said that the action seemed too reminiscent of what the

state did at Crystal Cove, where it eventually forced residents from the

area’s old cottages.

Whenever the state talks about getting to move or relocate people from

an area it brings in the issue of a “sewage problem,” he said.

“It happened with Crystal Cove,” Byer said. “Now they’re bringing up

the same issue with El Morro.”

El Morro consists of about 294 mobile home units along both sides of

Morro Creek in Crystal Cove State Park, just west of the Laguna Beach

city line.

State Parks officials hope to get the required approvals from the San

Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board after presenting plans and

additional studies today, said Mike Tope, the department’s Orange Coast

District superintendent.

Officials say water-quality tests in El Morro indicated that bacteria

levels were at “unacceptable levels.”

“[The repairs] will be interim work we need to do before we get into

our project that will convert El Morro into a public park,” Tope said.

That project, which will open up the park for campers and picnickers,

is expected to take off after Dec. 31, 2004, when current El Morro

residents’ leases run out.

The septic tank repairs will be funded entirely by the state

department, Tope said.

The El Morro Community Assn. voted Aug. 25 to assess itself $700,000

to study the problem, Byer said. He said the community wants to pay for

the fixes because many are long-term residents who have a “sense of

commitment.”

“They have been in touch with two companies to offer solutions,” he

said. “The state had also agreed to do some tests before presenting the

plan to the water board. I’m not really sure what the state is saying

now.”

But Tope, contradicting Byer’s statements, said Thursday that El Morro

Village Inc. is working with State Parks to fix the sewage problem.

“We understand our goals are different from those of the residents who

want to continue to live there,” Tope said. “But we’re together on this

issue.”