Aliso Creek Studies Near Completion

County and federal efforts to pinpoint--and eliminate--the source of persistent bacterial contamination in Aliso Creek are reaching a critical stage, with final reports from two environmental agencies due in coming weeks.

And Laguna Beach city officials already have agreed to send letters to potential upstream polluters.

“When the county does its [bacteria] tests, we invariably have readings that are almost undiscernible--with one exception. That one exception is the mouth of Aliso Creek,” said Kenneth C. Frank, Laguna Beach city manager. “That’s why there is so much of a focus on Aliso Creek. There’s been a high level of tension for the last couple of years.”

Aliso Creek drains over 34 square miles, from the Santa Ana Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In October 1998, fecal coliform bacteria levels in parts of the creek that run through Laguna Niguel were 225 times the amount considered safe for swimming. Occasional sewage spills, polluted water from storm drains and urban runoff also contribute to the contamination.

A channel near that area discharges 600,000 to 1 million gallons of urban runoff per day, said Wayne Baglin, chairman of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Runoff containing animal waste is the suspected cause of high bacteria levels there, according to preliminary findings from a county water-quality study.

Coliform, e coli and enterococci levels are not concentrated at any single point, which leads investigators to believe that the pollution there is caused by animals, said Chris Crompton, the county’s environmental resources manager.

Inspections of nearby sewer lines also ruled out leaking human waste from those pipes as a contributing factor, Crompton said.

Genetic testing is expected to confirm these findings, he said. Results from the second phase of this state-funded, $151,000 study are expected within a month, he said.

Baglin said the preliminary findings are nothing more than conjecture.

“That’s exceptionally premature, because I don’t think the science is there or any factual evidence supports that,” he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been studying erosion, habitat, flood-control and other conditions surrounding Aliso Creek. The goal of the $1.2-million study is to “reestablish a stable, healthy, and sustainable watershed environment,” according to the draft feasibility report.

The Army Corps will release a comprehensive environmental impact statement and report early next year. The county, cities, water districts and other bodies are reviewing 15 projects that would cost more than $17 million, according to the report. Proposals include creating wetlands, restoring creek-side vegetation and developing a fish spawning habitat.

Many of these proposals will be forwarded to Congress for budget allocation next year, said Michael Wellborn, a county senior planner. The federal government would pay about 65% of the costs, and the county would pay the remainder.

“We’re very close to moving into the project phase,” Wellborn added.

But some residents are concerned these projects deal with the effect of pollution without dealing with its cause.

“The last thing we should do is put millions into making Aliso Creek a waste-treatment facility,” Baglin said. “We have to stop pollution from getting into the creek.”

Activists have been urging officials to clean Aliso Creek for years. Lawsuits have been discussed, and one man even threatened to illegally plug storm drains in towns upstream using quick-drying concrete. Officials are starting to take notice.

The Laguna Beach City Council held a special meeting Tuesday devoted entirely to water-quality issues. It lasted five hours.

In the end, the City Council adopted several environmentalists’ recommendations. Within the month, city leaders will mail letters to six upstream cities and the county requesting that they stop polluted water from storm drains from entering Aliso Creek. Two waste-water treatment facilities will also be asked to implement backup systems to prevent future sewage spills.

But some people, such as Save Aliso Creek Assn. founder Roger Butow, believe all this talk is not producing any action.

“Animal life is dying, sea life dying, human beings’ health is in jeopardy,” he said. “It’s disturbing to me that my City Council would say, ‘Maybe we’ll send some nasty letters.’ ”