Newport Beach : Mussels to Be Tested for Newport Bay Pollution

A batch of mussels that have been absorbing the water in Newport Bay since August have been retrieved by divers and will be tested for pollution levels in the bay.

The mussels will show “things that you couldn’t find just looking at the water,” said Gordon Anderson, an environmental program manager for the state Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana region.

Scientists will study the mussels to determine the amount of foreign particles in the water, according to Joanne Schneider, environmental specialist for the water quality control board. “We look for various trace metals, such as silver, lead, copper, zinc, and synthetic and organic substances,” she said. “We can include a variety of pesticides such as DDT.”

Divers have been planting the crustaceans in Newport Bay since 1979. In the past, tests have shown “relatively high” concentrations of PCBs, DDT compounds and trace metals, Schneider said. She cautioned, however, that the findings are from specific points of the bay and are not representative of the area as a whole.

But the levels are “relative high” when compared to other areas of the state, which also are tested with mussels, she said.

Based on data from the mussels in the past, water officials have been working to identify the sources of the high levels.

“Is someone discharging something they shouldn’t, is there a leak that can be identified or stopped?” Schneider asked. So far, water officials have been unable to find the answer.

The latest mussels will be sent to the state Department of Fish and Game’s laboratory in Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento, she said. The analysis will take six to eight months.