City’s efforts bolstered by linking water campaigns

June Casagrande

A public education campaign for water quality hopes to capitalize

on a $5-million regional campaign by piggybacking its message.

A meeting between local, state and federal officials on Monday

hatched an idea that could boost the city’s chances of meeting its

water-quality goals: tailor local education campaigns to a

state-funded regional campaign for water conservation.

The strategy also marks a turning point in local efforts to

control urban runoff. Until now, local officials have emphasized

keeping pollutants out of storm drains through things like street

sweeping and forbidding businesses to rinse detergent off their

sidewalks into storm drains. Now they plan to bolster that approach

by emphasizing conserving water too.

“If you’re conserving water, you’ve got less going into the storm

drains,” Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said.

Kiff, who heads up many of the city’s water-quality efforts, met

with members of the Orange County Council of Governments,

Environmental Protection Agency Region IX Director Wayne Nastri and

State Water Resources Control Board Chairman Art Baggett on Monday

morning to find ways to coordinate water-quality efforts.

The state board has allocated $5 million toward an education plan

in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. And because that plan will

emphasize conservation, the Newport Beach water-quality education

campaign will, too, even though runoff is more critical to local

waters.

In January, new rules for runoff went into effect. The rules are

so stringent that even Newport Beach -- the only city in the county

to enthusiastically embrace the rules -- is struggling to meet them.

Among other things, the rules state that merchants can’t hose off

their sidewalks unless they catch the water before it gets into the

storm drain.

Details of the state’s and the city’s public education campaign

have not yet been decided.