Laguna to Move Faster on Sewage Spills

Laguna Beach firetrucks will now respond to every sewage spill, officials have decided, after a rash of criticism from environmentalists who charged the city had a poor response time to such disasters.

Firefighters will cordon off spilled sewage until other city staff can begin disinfecting the area. They may also put an absorbent material, like sand, on waste water to stop it from spreading.

“It can take up to 20 minutes for our guys to get to the scene,” said Steve May, city engineer. “We need to have someone there sooner to make sure the public is protected.”

The Fire Department will be alerted to spills through its round-the-clock dispatch system and will try to contain them in less than five minutes, said Fire Chief Jim Reed.

Laguna Beach has had 16 spills this year, four of which resulted in beach closures. The San Diego Regional Water Quality Board fined the city $60,000 last month for eight sewage spills that closed beaches in an 18-month period.

Staff from the sewer, marine safety, police and fire departments met last week to improve procedures for handling spills, said City Manager Kenneth C. Frank.

Sandbags, shovels, closure signs and caution tape will also be stocked at all beachfront sewer pump stations and in all sewer maintenance vehicles. Maintenance staff will be trained to cope with spills, so they can step in when sewer workers are not available.

In a report last week on aging sewer pipes, The Times chronicled one spill in which barefoot beachgoers unwittingly walked through raw sewage. City officials said they already were planning changes before the story ran.

Resident Wayne Baglin, also chairman of the regional water quality board, was at the scene of the latest sewer spill on Oak Street in July.

“I went down . . . and sat there for 2 1/2 hours as the sewage continued to leak, and no one came to correct it,” he said.

Resident Ron Harris, who was a member of the city Ocean Water Quality Committee, lauded the new procedures but said they’re long overdue.

“It’s nice the city is treating this as the serious matter it is, but it could have been done years ago.”

Newport Beach has been using its Fire Department to respond to sewer spills “forever,” said Newport Beach Fire Chief Timothy D. Riley.