Sewage spill closes Harbor Marina

Simon Brown

Boaters in Harbor Marina are being greeted by a familiar but

unwelcome site: bright yellow signs with red lettering that reads

“Keep out, sewage contaminated water.”

The signs were posted around the harbor at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday

and will remain in place for a minimum of three days, following a

sewage spill that is believed to have been caused by a blockage in a

private-property owner’s sewage collection system, said Larry

Honeybourne, the program chief of the Water Quality Section of the

Orange County Health Care Agency. This is the second time in the last

few months that sewage has found its way into the harbor.

The spill likely came from an office or medical complex,

Honeybourne said.

“We don’t know the exact cause, but generally on private property,

[sewage] will back up through an on-site manhole after something

clogs the pipe, and it backs up for relief,” he said.

The result is that the sewage soon runs into the nearby harbor,

causing the water to become unsafe for commercial and private divers

who use it. The problem is, however, preventable.

“The flow of storm drains can be diverted with filters, which stop

the sewage from getting in the water,” Honeybourne said.

Since those drains were not present in this case, the sewage

flowed through and contaminated the waterway. But it will not remain

so for long, because nature provides some of the filters that humans

did not, Honeybourne said.

“[The sewage] will eventually flow to the ocean where [the

bacterial] organisms will die due to sunlight and predation,” he

said.

This spill is not considered a serious one, but it will have some

long-term consequences for the health of Harbor Marina.

“We have a lot of sediment that builds up in the marina here, so

we may have to have it dredged more often than is common,” marina

dockmaster Joe Bergman said.

Those looking for an update on the status of the safety of the

water in Harbor Marina can call the Orange County Health Care Agency

at (714) 667-3752 or visit www.ocbeachinfo.com.