Beach Closures Soared in ’98 as El Nino Storms Spread Pollution

Pollution generated by fierce El Nino storms prompted officials to close Orange County beaches 40 times in 1998, marking the worst year for coastal water quality in more than a decade.

County officials blamed the high number of closures on heavy winter and spring rainfall, which caused havoc for waste-water systems and sent millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the ocean. The county Health Care Agency recorded 251 sewage spills in 1998, up from 226 in 1997.

Parts of nearly all beaches along the county’s 42-mile coastline were closed because of pollutants last year.

South County beaches were the hardest hit when a pipeline broke in February and sent 3 million gallons of waste-water down San Juan Creek and into the Pacific Ocean. Portions of Doheny State Beach and beaches as far south as San Clemente were closed for more than three months.

In March, a pipeline operated by the East Valley Water District in San Bernardino failed, sending an estimated 21 million gallons of sewage through Prado Dam and down the Santa Ana River. Beaches from Brookhurst Street in Huntington Beach south to 51st Street in Newport Beach closed for 10 days.

The beach closure figures alarmed coastal water quality advocates, who warned that increased development, combined with the public’s habit of washing used oil, antifreeze, yard debris and the like down storm drains, threaten county beaches.

“We all wish that Orange County’s coastline is pristine,” said Pierce Flynn, Surfrider Foundation executive director. “We all want the tourist from the Midwest to think it’s pristine. But if they’re seeing ‘beach closed’ signs at Doheny, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach, that reality changes the image.”

There were 15 beach closures in Orange County in 1992, seven in 1993, and 17 in 1994. There were 22 closures in 1995 and 1996, and 20 in 1997.

Flynn cautioned against blaming El Nino, a severe weather phenomenon. He said El Nino could be used as a “smoke screen” for antiquated sewage pipes and other weak infrastructures in the county’s water and sanitation districts.

“We know that the septic tanks and sewage lines from the toilet to the plant are leaking and breaking,” said Flynn, “and we have a chance now to be either proactive or reactive, and reactive is just not going to cut it.”

John Robertus from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, which oversees water and sanitation districts in Orange County, said the county’s agencies “were very responsive” in reporting spills and taking appropriate action.

“The agencies were very responsive to the board’s cleanup and abatement orders,” Robertus said. “As part of our enforcement action, the water agencies are given a time schedule to correct what happened so it doesn’t happen again. And they must fix the environment. But because the spills went out into the ocean and there were heavy rains at the time, the ocean was already impacted.”

When spills are reported, the county posts signs warning swimmers away. Usually, the county closes a beach area for 72 hours after it finds bacteria levels above the allowable standard, officials said. The area is reopened after tests confirm the bacteria level is safe for people.

At times, Flynn said, surfers complained of sore throats, earaches and flu-like symptoms after surfing near storm drains.

It was unclear what impact, if any, the closures had on the county’s tourist industry.

“These closures were mostly during the winter months, and you don’t have a lot of tourists at the beaches,” said Diane Baker, president of the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. “Those visitors are jogging along the trails and enjoying the view but not exactly going into that water because it’s very cold.”

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Water Woes

Poor water quality forced Orange County beaches to close 40 times last year, twice as often as in 1997. Most of the closures, resulting from spills totaling more than 25 million gallons of sewage, were due to line breaks and blockages:

Closures

1992: 15

1993: 7

1994: 17

1995: 22

1996: 22

1997: 20

1998: 40

*

1998 Causes

Line breaks, blockages: 23*

Sewer system back flow: 6

Measurement closure: 5**

Pump failure: 4

Other: 3

* Includes line washouts

** Closure ordered when routine measurement shows water quality is substandard; cause may be unknown

Note: One closure had two causes

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency, Environmental Health Division