Cleaning Up the Bay

To my mind the immediate solution to the problem of toxic pollution of Santa Monica Bay via the flood control system lies in subregional cooperation and political vision.

When I read that staff scientist Mark Gold of Heal the Bay, after a costly study, discovers that it is not safe to swim next to the storm drain outlets (Times, Sept. 29), I just pass wind in frustration. All of us who read The Times regularly know about this dangerous situation, and we seldom if ever go swimming in the bay. Why Heal the Bay continues to conduct studies is beyond me. It’s like motherhood. Order yet another study.

I would like to propose that a subregional grouping of the municipalities in our basin get together and jointly fund a pilot program. We should invite groups like Heal the Bay, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, Pioneer Skippers, and others to join together, contribute seed money to run a pilot or demonstration project on one of the storm drain outlets and its feeder system. Let’s flush the streets for a year in this portion of the flood control system. Let’s clean the toxic waters, and reuse them for further cleaning. Let’s see how much of the pesticides, heavy metals and organics we can remove in this way. Let’s cost out this temporary solution, extrapolate a basin-wide cost, and put the solution and its costs before the subregion using the press and an areawide referendum.

Maybe we can provide the shining example to the rest of the state and nation of a subregion that cares and is willing to act. It’s time to clean up our bay now.

ARNOLD SPRINGER

Venice