Officials target West Newport storm drain
Paul Clinton
Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and the county could face sanctions
if they do not reduce polluted urban runoff flowing into the Santa
Ana River.
Among the tributaries that drain into the river, the Santa Ana
Regional Water Control Board is targeting in particular a large storm
drain in Newport Beach that empties into the mouth of the river at
Seashore Drive and Coast Highway.
“Storm drains are laden with bacteria,” Newport Beach Assistant
City Manager Dave Kiff said. “I just know I’ve got to stop the
bacteria from coming out of the pipe. ... The board is telling us
informally to solve this.”
If city and county officials fail to reduce the amount of bacteria
in the river, the board could issue a cease-and-desist order, which
would mandate a cleanup.
The move is the latest regulatory attempt to reduce bacterial
outbreaks along the shorelines of the two cities. Water-quality
regulators have been scrambling to solve these mysterious outbreaks
for almost four years.
At an April 3 meeting with city and county officials, Ken Theisen,
an environmental scientist with the water board, urged officials to
cut down polluted flow. Right now, the county is diverting about 30
million gallons per day from the river to a sewage treatment plant.
The concrete drain along Seashore and Coast Highway contributes
about 10,000 gallons per day to the river mouth.
“It’s very high in bacteria,” Theisen said. “More than 80% of the
time, it exceeds the [state] standard.”
Newport Beach leaders have started investigating what could be
done to reduce bacteria traveling in the drain, Kiff said.
However, Councilman Tod Ridgeway, a member of the Orange County
Sanitation Board, said he isn’t convinced the Santa Ana River is the
source of the problem. Ridgeway was one of 13 sanitation members who
cast key votes for increased treatment of wastewater released by the
district via an outfall pipe.
“I’m not prepared to say with authority that it’s the Santa Ana
River,” Ridgeway said. “I don’t think we can say that.”
Huntington Beach leaders could also face sanctions. That city saw
its summer tourism industry decimated in 1999 when its beaches were
closed after bacteria outbreaks.
Any blame that falls on Surf City’s shoulders should be shared by
inland cities, which also contribute pollution to the river,
Huntington Beach Mayor Connie Boardman said.
Huntington Beach implements an annual summer diversion program to
collect runoff heading to the Santa Ana River and send it to the
Orange County Sanitation District.
“The same administrative order should also be placed into effect
on the inland cities that contribute to the runoff in the river,”
Boardman said.
* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He
may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at
paul.clinton@latimes.com.
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