HUNTINGTON BEACH : State Responsible for Dead Seals, City Says

City officials have determined that the disposal of two dead seals that washed up on a beach should have been the state’s responsibility, even though a city work crew removed the animals after a public outcry.

The question over who should be responsible for the carcasses was the subject of heated debate during an April 6 City Council meeting.

Several residents who attended the meeting criticized city officials for not immediately clearing away the decaying carcasses.

They said the seals had washed up on a strip of city-owned beach, north of Golden West Street.

That section of beach is frequently used by dog owners who walk their pets on the strand there.

Residents said they were offended that the two dead seals had been allowed to rot on the beach for several days.

After hearing the public criticism, Councilman Don MacAllister demanded quick action by city staff.

In a report released Monday, the city staff said they found that the two dead seals had actually washed up on Bolsa Chica State Beach--not on the city-owned strand as initially believed.

The city staffers said they contacted state beach officials about the dead seals and found that the money-strapped state had no equipment for disposing of the dead mammals.

The state’s “normal practice concerning dead animals on the beach is to let the tide take the carcasses back out to sea,” said the city staff report.

The report added that because of city residents’ concern over the problem, the city handled the state’s disposal problem.

The report said that city Community Services Beach Operations Supervisor Jim Way “had the (city) beach maintenance crew remove the two dead seals and bury them in the city landfill.”