HUNTINGTON BEACH : Money Set Aside for Harbor Cleanup

The City Council this week agreed to earmark $20,000 during the coming year toward cleanup of Huntington Harbour.

Under the plan approved at the request of Councilman Jim Silva, $10,000 will be used to study which catch basins in the harbor are producing the most pollution. The other $10,000 would go toward cleaning up areas next to those basins.

Since the harbor was built two decades ago, it has grown increasingly polluted, largely because of storm drain runoff.

With each rainfall, waves of debris wash through 40 city drains that empty into the harbor. As a result, a 5-foot-deep layer of silt, trash and chemicals has built up on the floor of the harbor, city officials said.

So much debris has accumulated that boaters have complained of vessels scraping against it during low tide, said Silva, who lives in the harbor area. The city can solve the problem by dredging in some areas, officials said.

Officials expect that each area to be dredged will cost $1,000. If more than 10 areas need to be improved, the project would be continued over the next several years.

The council approved the money to start the project as part of its proposed 1991-92 budget. The cleanup funds would be drawn from the city’s public works account, which covers improvements and maintenance of facilities such as storm drains, streets and utilities.

Council members are scheduled Monday to consider approving the $100-million general fund spending plan for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.