Another Mile of Shoreline Closed in Huntington Beach

Another mile of bacteria-tainted shoreline was closed by health officials Tuesday, extending to three miles the stretch of popular oceanfront now off-limits to swimmers and surfers at the peak of the season.

After ocean water samples showed bacteria levels to be three times the state standard, the Orange County Health Care Agency declared an expanded area of contamination, from the mouth of the Santa Ana River jetty north to the Huntington Beach Pier.

For distressed city officials, the situation is reminiscent of 1990, when the same stretch of beach was closed after the tanker American Trader spilled 416,000 gallons of oil, resulting in Orange County’s worst environmental disaster.

Huntington Beach Mayor Peter M. Green called the situation a tragedy.

“We want a clean beach that everybody can enjoy,” he said. “We have 11 million visitors each year. It’s one of the most popular beaches in the state.”

Beach regulars are frustrated.

“I’m pretty bummed,” said surfer Ryan Skutvik, 17. “Everybody’s life here revolves around surfing. For it to be taken away is tragic.”

The source of the contamination has eluded health and water agencies for nearly two months. Elevated bacteria levels were found during routine ocean water sampling July 1 at Huntington State Beach north of Newland Street.

Tuesday’s closure came after samples of enterococcus, an indicator of raw sewage and fecal material from warmblooded animals, exceeded the state standard of 104 bacteria per hundred milliliters, said Larry W. Honeybourne, chief of the Water Quality Section of the county Health Care Agency.

Anyone who ignores posted signs and goes in the water can be fined as much as $500 and sentenced to three months in jail.