Editor’s Notebook -- Danette Goulet

Huntington’s beaches have really begun to get an undeserved bad rap

lately.

Reports in USA Today and on NBC this week have let the world know that

Huntington Beach “has been bedeviled by ocean filth for years.”

It seems that news of Huntington’s filth is spreading across the

nation. For those of us who live here we know that’s nonsense.

Let me first say that for any part that I, and the Independent, have

unwittingly played in this national misconception, I regret. Because

while it is true that there are some serious trouble spots, most notably

in the south part of the city, Huntington’s beaches are clean and

beautiful.

But in the media we must report the news.

A contaminated beach, is news. A beach closure, is news -- information

the public needs and deserves to make choices. The question-turned-battle

over whether or not the Orange County Sanitation District should renew a

waiver allowing it to dump sewage not treated to federal standards, is

news.

Unfortunately for Surf City’s reputation and local business owners,

the day-to-day beauty of the majority of the beaches is not news.

Usually. This week it is.

The reporter at USA Today failed to include the news of the

outstanding grades Huntington Beach’s shoreline received just last week

in his scathing report.

The fact that all but four of Huntington’s 15 beaches received the

grade of A in the dry season.

While there is more of a problem when the rains come, a third of the

beaches still get As. A second third drops just to a grade of B. The last

five, all located near either a river mouth or channel outlet drop to Ds

and Fs.

And we, as residents, know enough not to go in the ocean for 72 hours

after a heavy rain anyway (not that we usually stay away that long.)

We know that there are some problems. When we report on water quality

issues it strikes home for us. We are outraged by the thought of someone

polluting our ocean and beaches. But still we know the upside.

I can’t tell you how many times I have written or edited a story about

beach closures or the outfall pipe and when I left work, head to the

beach. We are outraged because we love our beaches.

We live here for the same reason. It’s odd how something reads very

differently when its written by someone probably sitting at his computer

in Virginia.

Personally, I’m greedy. If people choose to stay away that’s fine with

me -- more room in the lineup and on the beach for me. But I realize that

hurts the local economy and frankly, my pride in the city in which I

choose to live makes me long to correct this gross misconception.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .