HUNTINGTON BEACH : Law Aimed at Illegal Dumping in Harbor

In the strongest effort by a local agency to stop boaters from discharging sewage into Orange County’s harbors, the City Council has adopted a stringent ordinance to curb illegal dumping in Huntington Harbour.

The ordinance, which goes into effect Oct. 31, will impose penalties on boat owners who dump waste into the harbor and marina operators who lease slips to boaters violating the measure.

Under the law passed last week, boat owners who rent space in Huntington Harbour must place dye tablets in their on-board waste tanks. Any discharge would expel a deep green cloud into the water, making it easier for patrolling authorities to spot illegal dumping.

Boat owners whose vessels, upon inspection, are found to lack the dye tablets would be stripped automatically of their slip leases.

In addition, the City Council can revoke the conditional-use permit from any marina operator with a tenant whose boat does not have the mandated dye tablets.

Linda Rouan, the operator of Peter’s Landing, the largest marina in Huntington Harbour, said she was surprised that the city adopted the ordinance without consulting her. She declined to comment further on the new regulations.

The new law is modeled after a 2-year-old regulation that has proved effective at Santa Catalina Island’s Avalon Harbor, said Councilman Jim Silva, chairman of the Huntington Harbour Water Committee.

Water-quality authorities believe the pollution has worsened in Huntington Harbour and Newport Bay during the past five years. “Head dumping,” as many authorities refer to the problem, is suspected to be a leading contributor to excessive levels of coliform bacteria found in both harbors. The bacteria is produced by human and animal feces.

Boaters can dispose of on-board waste by either dumping at sea or hooking up to a sewer system at harbor pump stations. But harbor dumping is forbidden by state and federal law. However, unless violators are caught in the act of dumping, it has been almost impossible to prosecute them, authorities say.

City officials say they hope that the new law will help change that.

Bill Wilson, who owns a boat in Huntington Harbour, said he and many of his neighbors ardently support the law.

“We’ve got dirty water out there,” Wilson said. “When they did this same thing in Avalon, I hear they made a spectacular improvement. . . . If a guy has a holding tank, he shouldn’t object to putting the dye tablets in there. And if he does object, we don’t want him in our harbor.”

John Ludvigsen, environmental officer for the Newport Beach Police Department, said he believes that the new ordinance will work effectively in Huntington Harbour. He said he is unsure how well it will work in a place as large as Newport Bay.