Trickling down a change in water philosophy

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- It was just a “wish list” last year, but now an

aggressive, citywide approach to cleaning up the bay could become a

reality.

In August, City Councilwoman Norma Glover asked city staff to answer

the hypothetical question: “What could the city do with an extra $5

million for water quality?”

The answer she got was a thorough, ambitious plan of attack that

included everything from stepped-up street sweeping to better public

education.

Glover now wants this abstraction turned into real policy, backed up

by real dollars.

“We continue to have problems with our water quality,” Glover said at

the Jan. 22 council meeting. She asked staff to place on an upcoming

council agenda a plan to spread out the wish list items over five years

and budget $1 million a year to pay for them.

The city already spends about $4.7 million on a broad range of

water-quality projects and programs. A cost-benefit analysis suggested by

Mayor Tod Ridgeway could alter the strategy that was presented to the

council in October by Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff.

In its current form, Kiff’s plan prioritizes threats to water quality.

Illness-causing bacteria that come into the water from sewage spills and

leaks are the worst threat, followed in order of urgency by other

microorganisms, toxics such as brake dust and pesticides, nutrients such

as nitrogen and phosphorous, and the unsightly problem of trash.

Keeping such things out of the water requires a broad approach. Some

of the money, Kiff said, could be used to enforce parking restrictions

for street sweeping citywide. A resident-education program, Kiff

suggested, could even extend beyond the city’s borders to explain to

communities upstream how simple lifestyle changes can keep contaminants,

including household waste, out of water.

In fact, the wish list emphasizes individuals’ behavior to an extent

that warranted a word of caution from Kiff: “This may mean imposing more

upon property owners’ rights than we might want to.”

This could mean creating a hotline for residents to report violations,

encouraging neighbors to educate each other about behaviors that affect

water quality, and asking individuals who apply for a business license to

sign a pledge that they will be water friendly.

The fictional $5 million also includes funds for more code enforcement

officers, whose jobs would be to enforce rules for residents and

organizations alike. Cleaning of catch basins -- baskets located in storm

drains to stop larger debris from draining into the ocean -- should be

increased from once every 18 months to once a year, Kiff said. And

devices that catch grease produced by restaurants could be universally

required and enforced.

Technology also has a role in improving water quality. Kiff said the

city could consider requiring some commercial and even residential

properties to have special sprinklers that only go on when ground

moisture and weather conditions indicate that it’s time to water.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .