Search still on for way to clean up drain

June Casagrande

A problem storm drain continues to bedevil the coastline, but the

reasons are murky as to why the Seashore Drive outlet is being

singled out by regional water authorities.

The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control board sent a letter

to city officials last month to ask for an update on the city’s

efforts to reduce pollution coming from the storm drain.

The Seashore Drive storm drain, which empties into the Santa Ana

River, is thought to have been a source of the pollution that closed

Huntington Beach in 1999. It got a little famous after a 2001 study

by a UC Irvine researcher showing consistently high levels of

bacteria in river waters near the storm drain. The storm drain is

owned by Caltrans, but much of the pollution that gets into the drain

runs off the Newport Beach roads, through the storm drain and

ultimately into the ocean.

City officials responded to the water board’s concerns last summer

by drafting an action plan to reduce pollution in the area. On Oct.

15, the city got a nudge from the board in the form of a letter

asking the city to give a report on the efforts it has made there so

far and a schedule for implementing the remainder of its action plan.

“The city had said that a lot of the measures would be implemented

this summer, but an inspection showed that not all had been,” said

Kurt Berchtold, a spokesman for the regional board. “We’re asking the

city to give us a schedule for their plans to implement these

measures.”

The city’s plan for the area includes additional street and alley

sweeping, putting bacteria-fighting filters in catch basins,

installing signs informing residents about water-quality rules for

the area, and making more dog waste disposal bags available.

Though the city has begun implementing some of these measures, the

board has asked for a report submitted by Nov. 14 on completing the

plan.

City officials say that the reducing pollution at the site is

important, though it’s unclear why this site is any more of a

priority that storm drains throughout the city, all of which

contribute varying amounts of pollution to the ocean.

“I don’t know that there’s anything inherently different about

this storm drain from other urban drains, but in this case we have

data that confirm that there’s a problem there,” Berchtold said.

Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said he would prepare an agenda

item for an upcoming City Council meeting to satisfy the board’s

request.

“We respect the board’s intent in issuing us this letter,” Kiff

said. “We take it very seriously. However, we hope it’s reflective of

the board’s wider interesting in going after all polluted storm

drains countywide.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.