Sorry, Surfers

Bacteria-warning signs came down along a stretch of Seal Beach on Sunday morning, but not in time to save a weekend surfing competition designed in part to heighten youths’ awareness of water quality.

The warning was posted Friday after bacteria counts exceeded healthful levels between Seal Beach Pier and the mouth of the San Gabriel River.

The warning, combined with flat waves, led organizers of the Surfline Ray Bay Classic to cancel the weekend surfing, including a Kids for Clean Waves youth contest and a team challenge. Paddle-boat races were held as planned more than a mile offshore.

The events, which organizers hope to hold next weekend, were to raise money for the Lifeguard Assn. and the Surfrider Foundation’s Huntington/Long Beach Chapter.

“It’s kind of ironic, because that’s why the money is raised--to clean the water,” said Roger Gilliam, one of the organizers. “We didn’t want to send the kids out in contaminated water.”

The bacteria alert was the latest in a series of water-quality problems along the Orange County coast. A broken sewer line closed a stretch of Huntington State Beach in July. And last week, a sewage-pump station failure led to the closure of 2,000 feet of beach in San Clemente.

Coincidentally, the city of Seal Beach recently received $450,000 in state grants to attack pollution problems along the beach and the San Gabriel River.

“This incident just highlights our concerns,” said Seal Beach Mayor Paul Yost, himself a surfer who had registered for the weekend team competition. “We have a strong commitment to clean up the water.”

Don Slaven, a member of the Surfrider Huntington/Long Beach Chapter, said the bacteria warnings are evidence of increasing stress on water quality by Southern California’s continued population growth.

“Looking down the road 50 years, we need a long-range strategic plan from the politicians,” said Slaven, adding that water quality affects more than coastal residents. “A tremendous number of inland people use the beach.”

Canceling the event was no easy task itself, said Jericho Poppler Bartlow, a former champion surfer who organized the Kids for Clean Waves event. About 150 youngsters under 16 had signed up.

“I’ve been up all night handling these parents,” she said. “The lifeguards took all the names from all the entries and called them, 150 kids.”

Bartlow said many of the entrants were upset. “They designed their summer vacation around this,” she said.

“We’re hoping to have it next weekend, but the saga continues. Who knows what the quality will be like?”