NEWPORT BEACH : City Hears the Scoop on Duck, Dog Waste

The City Council heard complaints about waste this week. Not toxic waste, hazardous waste or even the waste of taxpayers’ money, but old-fashioned dog droppings. And now the ducks on Balboa Island are adding to the problem.

Earlier this week, a resident told the City Council that he was tired of a city ordinance that prohibits dogs on the beach during the summer months. He said he meticulously picks up after his dog, with a scooper and plastic bag, and resents being told he can’t take his dog to the ocean becaus dogs and summer visitors don’t mix.

“I carry bags and all kinds of stuff,” said Walt Thompson, who opposes the ordinance that banishes dogs from the beach from May to September. “The residents who take care of their dogs shouldn’t be limited because of the people who don’t.”

That comment prompted a related concern from Councilwoman Ruthelyn Plummer, who explained that the proliferation of ducks on Balboa Island is unnerving residents there who complain that the ducks “come into their yards and do their thing.”

Citing health and nuisance issues, Plummer recommended that the city staff look into easing that problem and also consider ways to control the burgeoning duck population.

City Manager Robert L. Wynn said staff may consider the duck issue, but that there are no ordinances on the books regulating ducks.