Curbing Runoff to Ocean Could Cost Billions

Curtailing urban runoff--the suspected cause of high bacteria levels in the ocean off Huntington Beach--could take more than 15 years and cost the state billions of dollars, a state water official said Wednesday.

Such a statewide effort would involve identifying the sources of pollution inland, such as dairies or even cities, and measuring how much each contributes to runoff, said John Norton, a state Water Resources Control Board executive.

“We identified most areas in Southern California, but we have to go beyond just where the sources are,” Norton told the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. “In some areas, it will take 15 years or longer.”

The problem, he said, is exacerbated by large areas of watershed stretching 75 to 100 miles from the ocean. Under a bill signed into law last week, the board must report to the Legislature by March 31, 2001, on the methods the water control board will use to investigate upstream urban runoff.

When questioned by committee members, Norton said it would take extreme steps by legislators to free up money and reduce the 15-year estimate. But environmentalists accused the state of dragging its feet on water pollution.

Linda Sheehan, of the Center for Marine Conservation, said the state water board has more than $60 million from the federal government that is supposed to pay for pollution investigation.