Safety First for Newport Bay

A sewage spill last week provided more evidence of the need for close monitoring if millions of gallons of treated waste water are pumped into upper Newport Bay.

The spill of an estimated 6,000 gallons of partially treated sewage occurred at a water reclamation plant of the Irvine Ranch Water District. The same plant spilled about 5 million gallons of reclaimed water last month. It is the district’s treated waste water that would be sent into Newport Bay if a two-year pilot program goes forward.

The proposal for the district to save money by pumping the treated sewage into upper Newport Bay rather than paying another agency to dispose of it has been controversial since it was announced two years ago.

Opponents rightly have expressed concern about what the added water would mean for the bay, which is home to a number of waterfowl, including the endangered light-footed clapper rail. Normally Newport Bay is flushed by saltwater; however, it is subject to contamination from urban runoff.

The potential effect of reclaimed water on the bay is uncertain. Some scientists maintain that treatment of the sewage, which would remove bacteria, is likely to keep the bay clean. Other scientists have disputed that.

The district could resolve the issue by finding some other way of disposing of the treated sewage. One possibility that appears to have merit involves having the district sell the water to the Orange County Water District, which would sell it to golf courses and other customers.

If the pilot program goes forward, it should be monitored closely over its two-year run before any decision is made to allow discharges on a permanent basis. The state Regional Water Quality Control Board this month approved the program, which is to start later this year.

Days after the approval, however, a pump at the water reclamation plant failed, causing the leak of partially treated sewage into a tributary that flows into Upper Newport Bay. Last month a broken pipe at the reclamation plant caused a spill that state officials said was reported two days later. State law requires notice within 24 hours. As a result, the staff of the state Regional Water Quality Control Board recommended that the Irvine Ranch Water District be fined $100,000.

A water district board member described last week’s spill as “a fluke” and noted that accidents happen. But it is exactly such mishaps that underline the need for caution when tampering with the makeup of Newport Bay.