SEAL BEACH : Pollution Warnings Posted at River Mouth

Pollution warning signs have returned to the city’s most popular surfing spot, nine months after two city-sanctioned replacement signs were stolen.

The signs warn those who surf near the San Gabriel River mouth to wait 72 hours after even the lightest rain before entering the surf. Runoff from storm drains in Los Angeles and Orange counties empties out at the river mouth, creating dangerously high bacteria levels, according to Surfrider spokesman Dr. Gordon Labedz.

The city removed pollution warning signs posted by the Surfrider Foundation in August, 1994, because the signs were not considered legal by the County Health Care Agency. After discussions between the Surfrider Foundation and the city, a new sign was created bearing the logos of both entities. Two new signs were bolted onto a fence in the area in January, only to be stolen two days later.

City Parks and Recreation Director Andy Seymour had ordered four signs as a cost-savings measure, but waited to post the remaining two signs until the start of the rainy season.

He says the new signs should be more theft-resistant. They are welded onto poles about eight feet high.