Amid wastewater lawsuits, group works to reduce runoff in Aliso Creek

Amid continuing legal fights among member agencies of the South Orange County Wastewater Authority, a group organized by the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition is working to lessen urban runoff in the Aliso watershed.

The coalition, which aims to protect marine life and habitats around Laguna Beach, partnered with local water quality agency staff members, Orange County Public Works, Orange County Coastkeeper and the Moulton Niguel Water District, which remains in litigation with SOCWA. The coalition claims the legal battle hampers protection efforts.

In May 2017, multiple agencies, including SOCWA and members Laguna Beach and the South Coast Water District, filed a lawsuit against Moulton Niguel, alleging the latter violated contractual agreements as an authority member and failed to pay $755,871 — a figure since increased to $927,606 — in bills for infrastructure projects at a wastewater treatment facility in Aliso Canyon.

Moulton Niguel filed its own suit in August 2017, alleging that Laguna Beach, South Coast and the Emerald Bay Service District breached a contract by requiring the agency to pay for the improvements, which Moulton claims were not legally approved.

In the face of those stumbling blocks, the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition and its partners met Thursday at the Ranch at Laguna Beach to highlight their outreach and education efforts toward reducing contaminants flowing to Aliso Creek.

“While SOCWA litigates, we are mitigating contamination to Aliso Creek and Laguna’s Marine Protected Areas,” said Mike Beanan, Laguna Bluebelt co-founder. “Our efforts demonstrate what can be achieved by working together at the community level.”

Lindsey Stuvick, water efficiency manager for Moulton Niguel, spoke of its efforts with Orange County Coastkeeper, a Costa Mesa-based environmental group, to educate residents about water efficiency. Free landscaping programs and irrigation workshops are offered as incentives.

The coalition said the creek water level has been significantly reduced from where it was when it became a serious concern to Laguna Bluebelt and that newer signage is in place warning the public not to play in runoff water, which “may contain bacteria” and “cause illness.”

In the past, Beanan said, surfers were known to dig up beach berms to release polluted water, creating a “standing wave.”

“This was really fun, but it polluted the ocean,” Beanan said. The coalition found language in county codes to help enforce rules against the practice, he said.

The coalition hopes to expand its efforts to include agencies more inland to help keep polluted water out of the creek.

“It was a long haul to educate the regulatory agencies that you can flood an environment just as much as you can dehydrate it,” Beanan said. “The idea was to remove the excess urban runoff and filter it, return the flow to the native flow … allow the beach berm to be in place and then protect the ocean water quality.”

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