End of waiver good for Aliso...

End of waiver good for Aliso Beach

I am the former chief engineer of the Orange County Sanitation

District and personally directed the preparation and filing of the

301(h) waiver for the district in September of 1979. The Board of

Directors of the district felt at the time that this was the best

course of action because of the very aggressive capital improvement

program that was being implemented. This capital works program

included 50 mgd of secondary treatment facilities at the Fountain

Valley plant and 75 mgd of secondary treatment facilities at the

Huntington Beach plant.

Major trunk sewers were also being constructed extending from the

Huntington Beach plant northerly to serve the cities of Fountain

Valley, Stanton, Westminster, Buena Park, Garden Grove and La Palma.

The Santa Ana Regional Interceptor was also being constructed along

the Santa Ana River from the Fountain Valley plant to the Orange

County boundary near Prado Dam. This major interceptor sewer not only

served several cities in Orange County, but provided a conveyance

system for the removal of contaminants and toxins from the Upper

Basin (Riverside and San Bernardino counties).

I believe that the Board of Directors’ recent action not to

request an extension of the waiver was prudent and necessary

considering the general public demand for full secondary treatment

for all waste waters being discharged to the ocean. However, it is my

opinion that with the expenditures of several millions of dollars and

increased property taxes, the beach closures and bacteria

contamination along the shoreline will not cease.

When the Corps of Engineers paved the bottom of the Santa Ana

River with concrete from the ocean to Weir Canyon, we lost over 225

acres of wetlands in the bottom of the river. The earthen soil

bottom, along with the vegetative growth, help reduce the

contaminants from the local storm water runoff before it reached the

ocean waters. The South Orange County Wastewater Authority treats all

the wastewater to secondary treatment level and discharges the

treated waste one-mile off shore from Aliso Beach. Even with

secondary treatment, the beach at Aliso has been quarantine and

posted on several occasions.

It is my opinion that the recent influx of beach pollution

resulting in unhealthy conditions and beach closures is the result of

neglect by many sewer agencies to properly maintain their sewers

resulting in sewer overflows and cities failing to implement a strong

storm drain, environmental anti-dumping policy with adequate

enforcement. All the contaminants and toxicant from sewer overflows,

the animal feces, pesticides, construction run-off, etc. that enter

our storm drain systems will continue to pollute our waterways and

beaches unless there is enough pressure brought on the various city

councils to adopt and enforce anti-pollution programs for out storm

drains.

The much-hailed victory will not provide clean and safe beaches.

RAY E. LEWIS, P.E., DEE

Laguna Beach

Summer breezes and the scent of new tar

Summer in Laguna -- fresh air, open windows, friends and family

coming to visit, a wonderful time to be home here, despite the

traffic and huge amounts of people coming and going through town. Not

so this summer.

For some reason, the people who make decisions decided it was the

best time to do a major sewer overhaul and repave all of North

Laguna. It has now been going on well over a month on my street.

There is a lot of jackhammer noise, incredible dust that gets blown

into our open windows so we have to keep them closed, major

disturbances in traffic flow and the smell of new tar -- all in the

hottest, busiest time of the year. I cannot, for the life of me,

understand why this was the chosen time for this work. We had a very

dry winter and a long spring when all of this could have been done,

so we could have enjoyed the summer. According to the signs, the work

will be completed just in time for the end of summer -- September.

I am very disappointed in the lack of foresight in this decision.

And the lack of taking the needs of residents into account.

VICKI WEISSLER

Laguna Beach

Thank you for caring for me and Dylan

On July 29 my 13 1/2-year-old Golden Retriever, Dylan, died.

Since he was a pup one of our daily rituals was running in the

morning on the beach from the “Hole in the Wall” to Main Beach and

back. In his early years Dylan proudly carried his leash in his mouth

as he ran beside me. Later, when his arthritis and age prevented him

from running, he would trail me by half a block. I would run in

circles, observing him greet other dogs, walkers and runners with his

feathered tail wagging. One of his favorite pastimes was looking for

food. He knew where every street person hid food in the rocks and

along the outskirts on the sand. I ended up buying them many a

replacement meal. They all knew him and delighted in sharing food and

affection with him.

After our run he could be found playing a game where he would push

two tennis balls downhill to me and I would roll them back up. It

took him years to teach me that game and I’m still not sure who

enjoyed it more -- him or me. Kids would pull on him, climb on him

and try to take his balls. He was always gentle with them and would

cry if they stopped playing with him.

Out-of-towners, who made yearly trips to Laguna, would remember

him and say that it made them feel secure and happy knowing he would

be there. During the day at work he sat next to clients who came to

visit me in my psychotherapy office here in town. When they cried or

were hurting, he would sit close to them, nuzzle them and often

snatch their tear-drenched Kleenex from their hands and eat it before

we could stop him. He was truly a medicine dog and brought joy and

healing to many.

I knew the end was near when he could no longer climb the stairs

to the second-floor bedroom where he slept. Many nights I would carry

him up the stairs so he could sleep close to my wife, the cat and me.

His eyes and breath let us know when it was time.

The vet confirmed he had a tumor on his lungs, which made it hard

for him to breathe. Our sadness was profound. We took him home and

arranged for our vet to come to our house later that day so Dylan

could die at home. My wife, Mary, removed his collar and made a

necklace with her hair, my hair and our cat’s hair tied to string and

hung it around his neck so part of us would be with him as he

traveled in to the great mystery.

We drummed, sang songs, held him and mostly cried in the hours

before the vet came. I felt a peace for all of us when his suffering

ended with his last breath.

Thank you Dr. Leven and Dr. K and the Laguna Beach Animal Hospital

team. Also, I cannot say enough to the many beach people and town

folds who held me, hugged me, cried with me and prayed for us when I

tearfully did my beach run the next day and responded to their

question of “Where’s Dylan?” Most of them didn’t even know my name,

yet they shared their love and tears with me. The outpouring of care,

affection and condolences from the beach community, family friends

and neighbors has been incredible.

I also want to thank Joy and the others from Animal Control, who,

even though they wrote me many off-leash tickets over the years, were

always kind and caring.

I have been deeply touched and humbled by the outpouring of love.

I feel very blessed to be part of this community. Thank you all!

STUART BLOOM

Laguna Beach