Officials Remain Puzzled as Beach Closure Widens

The mysterious sewage spill that has fouled Huntington Beach since early July grew by a mile Wednesday, forcing lifeguards to shoo sunbathers from the waterline near downtown and threatening merchants with an economically disastrous Labor Day weekend.

Health officials and politicians joined in the search for the source of pollution that now has a 4.2-mile stretch of shoreline off-limits to swimmers and surfers. Even a psychic offered to help.

“Our business was cut in half because of the first closure. Now, it’s just killed,” said Jack Clapp, whose father opened Dwight’s concession stand in 1932. “I could just as well close and go home.”

County health officials ordered the extended closure at 4 p.m. after discovering bacteria levels four times the acceptable state standard. The shoreline is now closed from the Santa Ana River jetty to Goldenwest Street.

The source of the contamination continues to baffle health and sanitation officials, who met as a task force Wednesday with city, county and state delegates.

“All resources will be put into action to locate the source of the contamination and clean it so our beaches can once again be completely enjoyed by all,” Huntington Beach Mayor Peter M. Green said.

While the officials talked about welding and siphon inspections of underground pipelines, they also considered hiring a consultant to go door to door, especially among longtime residents who may have knowledge about old pipelines or septic tanks.

Even a psychic offered to join in. One woman called the Orange County Sanitation District saying she knew where the leak was, said Michelle Tuchman, a district spokeswoman.

“She wanted money,” Tuchman said. “Needless to say, we didn’t hire her.”

The situation “is extremely frustrating to everyone,” Tuchman said at Wednesday night’s sanitation district board meeting.

Among the measures planned is a series of tests in which chemical dyes will be injected into the city’s sewer system, then sought offshore. Investigators also will use infrared devices designed to detect irregularities in the flow of ocean water.

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a surfer, toured the contaminated area Wednesday and said he will investigate whether federal resources are available. “I wouldn’t be so concerned if we knew the source,” said Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

He compared the situation to one in 1990, when the American Trader tanker spilled 416,000 gallons of oil, resulting in the county’s worst environmental disaster.

“When we had the tanker accident,” he said, “we knew what the problem was. This is a lot worse because we don’t know what we’re dealing with. It has the makings of a major financial crisis.”

Visitors are not allowed to go in the ocean, but the pier, parking lots and bicycle trail remain open for public use on the inland side of the yellow police tape that stretches along the sand at the water line.

Anyone who defies the closure order risks a misdemeanor citation from lifeguards or police, said Richard Barnard, deputy city administrator.

“We’re not trying to be heavy-handed here,” he said, “but we are closing the beaches for the public’s safety and well-being.”

Since the pollution was first detected July 1, officials have used video cameras, offshore boats equipped with sonar to seek uncharted pipelines, and even ground-penetrating radar, to no avail.

“This is from an unknown amount and unknown source of raw or untreated sewage,” said Monica Mazur, an environmental health specialist with Orange County’s Health Care Agency.

At 17 testing sites, the county on Wednesday reported samples of enterococcus, an indicator of raw sewage and fecal material from warm-blooded animals, that ranged from 60 to more than 400 bacteria per hundred milliliters. The acceptable level is 104.

The city’s tourism businesses could be devastated as swimmers, surfers and sunbathers stay home or go elsewhere. City officials say Huntington Beach draws about 11 million visitors annually, making it one of the state’s most popular stretches of shoreline.

“This is the peak of our season, especially Labor Day,” said Mike Ali, owner of Zack’s Pier Plaza, which serves food and rents surfboards. He said he has been forced to cut his staff in half.

Diane Turner, public relations manager at the Hilton Waterfront, said there have been no cancellations. But the hotel has begun shuttling guests from the hotel to a beach outside the restricted zone.

As for beach-goers, local resident Judy Henshall spent half a day at Disneyland before deciding to escape the inland heat and take her 15-year-old daughter bodyboarding.

“When we got here the sun was out, we were all happy,” she said. “Then we saw the yellow tape.”

Times correspondent Judy Silber contributed to this report.

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More Coast Closed

The Orange County Health Care Agency late Wednesday extended its shoreline closure to all of Huntington State Beach and Huntington City Beach south of Golden West Street.

4 1/2 miles of beach closed to water recreation.

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency.