NEWPORT BEACH : Council to Ask State for Ban on Chemical
Responding to the discovery of increased concentrations of a toxic pesticide in shellfish found in Newport Bay, the City Council on Monday said it will ask the state to ban a chemical used on farmlands along the Diego Creek, which drains into the bay.
Council members voted unanimously to send a letter to the California Department of Food and Agriculture requesting that the agency deny permits for the use by Orange County farmers of endosulfan, which has been found in increasing amounts in Newport Bay shellfish.
Higher levels of endosulfan were discovered during a routine check by the state’s Mussel Watch Program, which plants clams or mussels in the bay and then collects them for testing. Tests on the latest specimens showed a “huge increase” in the concentration of endosulfan over the previous year, according to Hope Smythe, environmental specialist for the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
As a result of the endosulfan discoveries, health officials have advised the public to not consume shellfish collected in the bay.
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