We Are All Custodians of the Sea

In real life as in tourist brochures, the blue waters of the Pacific along the Orange County shore usually are nothing but inviting. That changed dramatically and unfortunately this summer. For a long stretch in August and even after Labor Day, signs along the sand at Huntington Beach either barred swimmers from the water or allowed swimming at one’s own risk.

“Ocean water contact may cause illness,” read signs in the days after school resumed and most of the tourists left. “Bacteria levels exceed health standards.” Although officials hunted unsuccessfully for days to find the source of high bacteria counts that prompted them to close the beach, the No. 1 source of pollution of Southern California’s waterways is urban runoff.

It’s not just the plastic bags and aluminum cans that get discarded carelessly, wash into drains and are carried along creeks and rivers and into the waters. It’s also human sewage and viruses that wind up in the ocean, according to the latest scientific research.

Some of the sources of pollution can be contained with relative ease. Don’t pour motor oil down drains--dispose of it in waste roundups held periodically. Clean up after dogs. Small steps, yes, but important.

Cities, counties and agencies dealing with sewage and water also have an important part to play. They need to take the threat to health more seriously. The days of assuming pollution would be dispersed quickly in the vast ocean should be over. New research shows there are limits to what the Pacific waters can accept.

Swimmers and surfers report increasing numbers of infections with each passing year. Improvements in measuring bacteria in the waters confirm that the problem is getting worse.

For too long Southern California has been accustomed to beach closings during the winter, when even small amounts of rain wash debris into the ocean. Aging infrastructure also hurts. Several years ago a pump-station failure spilled nearly half a million gallons of sewage into the ocean at Aliso Creek.

Nor can inland cities assume that pollution is a problem to be solved by coastal cities. The beach is important economically to the entire region.

It’s also important to the quality of life of residents and visitors alike, a source of relaxation and inspiration. Last year when levels of bacteria increased drastically at the beaches at the northern end of Newport Beach, officials finally tracked the source to a massive sewage spill 11 days earlier in San Bernardino County, more than 50 miles away.

We all have a part to play as custodians of the sea.