Orange County Almanac
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Before public works officials channeled the Santa Ana River directly into the Pacific Ocean in the 1920s, it flowed eastward around Costa Mesa and into Newport Bay.
This flow pattern nurtured several shallow lagoons below the bluff of Costa Mesa.
These wetlands were filled with algae, which gave the water a bad taste that resulted in the lagoons being known as Bitter Water Lake.
A 100-foot-high headland at the end of 16th Street in Costa Mesa was called Bitter Point. It offered vistas of the curving river.
When the river was rerouted, protective dikes were constructed to prevent it from flowing toward the bay.
Today
Adam Fairclough, author of “Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Brief Biography,” will lecture on the life and work of the civil rights leader on KBPK Radio’s “Soundings.”.
The show is one of a series of programs recognizing Black History Month. The 30-minute cultural-affairs service shows are a project of the National Humanities Center. Upcoming shows include “Reflecting Black” next Monday and “Envisioning the Future” on Feb. 27. The show begins at 8:30 a.m. on station KBPK/90.1 FM.
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