Runoff Is Blamed for Beach Woes : Environment: Data show pollution coming from storm drains is a chronic problem in Huntington Beach. Rest of coastline isn’t immune.

The final stretch of surf off Huntington State Beach reopened Friday, but county sanitation officials also released data showing a chronic problem with bacteria levels over the last year.

The figures indicate a continuing and possibly serious contamination problem at Huntington Beach from urban runoff into storm drains, a problem that could cost billions of dollars to fix.

Huntington Beach is hardly alone. Experts say the entire region, and possibly most of the California coastline, could have similar problems.

“There aren’t any sewage spills here causing this,” said sanitation district microbiologist Charles McGee. Measurements from June 1998, to Aug. 15 this year show there were unhealthy levels of bacteria in the water an average of one day in every four.

“It confirms that urban runoff contributes to poor water quality at beaches,” McGee said.

Contamination exceeded newly toughened state standards on 100 days from June through August this year. Under standards in effect before July 26, safety levels were exceeded on only seven days.

But swimmers and surfers won’t necessarily be banned from Huntington Beach waters more frequently. Under the new law, county health officials must immediately close beaches if they detect sewage, but if the bacteria come from storm drain runoff, authorities need only post warnings. Federal and state elected officials said Orange County health officers should have posted signs this summer but kept the beaches open.

Larry Honeybourne, who oversees water quality for the county Health Care Agency, said that if bacteria levels rise again, signs warning of the health risks will be posted.

Huntington Beach city workers, meanwhile, are cleaning storm drain pumping stations for the first time in several years.

Solid matter collected from holding tanks will be trucked to toxic waste landfills as far away as Nevada. The tanks will be disinfected, then water will be allowed to flow in, probably some time next week.

That water will then be tested again for bacteria. The tests could indicate whether bacteria in the ocean this summer came from the pumping stations.

In the long term, a multi-agency task force must decide what to do, county sanitation officials said. They are already projecting $1.5 billion in capital improvements to handle increased sewage in the district, which covers 25 cities in central and northern Orange County with 2.2 million residents and thousands of businesses and industries.

Funneling all storm drains into sewage treatment plants could cost 10 times more, said sanitation district director Robert Ghirelli.

He said a far cheaper alternative would be to divert storm water only during the dry summer months, which Laguna Beach and Los Angeles have done for some time.

McGee said that at a national conference on ocean water in San Diego this week, he was besieged with questions from water agency officials from California.

“They’re worried,” he said. “They know that eventually what is happening in Huntington Beach is going to happen to them.”

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Troubled Waters

Statistics released Friday by the Orange County Sanitation District show that levels of bacteria in the waters off Huntington Beach have been chronically high, especially in the summer. Contamination exceeded current state standards on 100 days between June 1998 and August 1999.

DAYS EXCEEDING STANDARD

1998

June: 8

July: 13

August: 12

Sept: 2

Oct: 4

Nov: 0

Dec: 4

1999

Jan: 2

Feb: 1

March: 2

April: 4

May: 7

June: 13

July: 16

Aug: 12

Source: Orange County Sanitation District