Save Bay, but Protect Ocean Too

A toot of the horn is in order for an alert tugboat captain, who apparently had more on the ball than others charged with overseeing the ocean dumping of silt dredged from Upper Newport Bay. Through the operator’s observations, crews discovered recently that about 600,000 cubic yards of silt were being dropped in the wrong dumping spot off the coast, about half a mile southeast of an approved site.

Crews blamed the mistake on incorrect coordinates being given to a satellite system that is used to find the dumping spot. The misplaced silt amounted to about 60,000 dump-truck loads, a considerable amount. The Environmental Protection Agency has sent letters to Orange County’s public facilities agency and the California Department of Fish & Game, which obtained the dumping permit last year.

The investigation could lead to the levying of fines. The early indication from John Sibley, head of Orange County’s public facilities department, was that no sensitive habitat was affected. But the public needs to know for certain whether any ocean habitat was damaged. Even if this was just a close call, it ought to prompt a commitment to more precision in the future.

The material had been removed from the bay because of the potential threat it posed to sensitive habitat. Fortunately, the EPA has said that the material is not toxic. But it would be unfortunate to have it removed from one marine environment and moved to another, only to cause the very problems at the new location that were to be avoided in the first place.

For those carrying out the dumping for the county, getting the location right in the first place seems basic. The site was picked as a temporary location to reduce the cost. This suggests that cost-cutting, while necessary, also can lead to environmental mistakes. The EPA is right to be vigilant to ensure that those who subcontract to do this kind of work are doing so correctly.

The $7-million dredging project began last year and is scheduled to be finished this spring. The county has made this a priority, and the dumping error should not deter the campaign to keep the bay dredged regularly. The efforts of state Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) to have the state set aside $400,000 annually for dredging are important and deserve support. The state-owned bay is an important resource, and the buildup of mud threatens birds and fish. The dredging needs to be carried out in a way that protects the ocean environment.