Runoff Channel Pouring Virus Into Newport Bay

A virus that can cause everything from gastrointestinal problems to lingering summer colds is flowing into Newport Bay, officials said Tuesday.

Researchers from Southern California Coastal Waters Research Project and UCI found enterovirus at two spots in the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel, which funnels urban runoff from nearly 18 square miles of Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach into the bay. Enterovirus is the second-most-common human virus, after rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.

The findings prove that raw human waste is entering the long-polluted bay, most likely from leaking sewer lines, vagrants or illegal connections between sewer pipes and storm drains, said Dave Kiff, deputy city manager of Newport Beach.

The study involved water tests between July 19 and Aug. 2 at nine storm drains or tributaries that flow into Newport Bay. All but one of the samples from the Santa Ana-Delhi flood-control channel contained the virus. Other areas sampled, including Newport Dunes, Bayshore Beach and San Diego Creek, did not contain any virus, but Kiff said testing will be repeated there.

Kiff said the next step will be to test additional areas of the flood-control channel, trying to zero in on potential sources.

The study is one component of a multifaceted pollution prevention plan for Newport Bay, parts of which have been off-limits to swimming and shellfish harvesting since 1974.

“I’m glad it’s finally getting some attention,” said Bob Caustin, founder of Defend the Bay. “However, they’re just starting to scratch the surface. It’s going to take a big effort to clean up because of the years of neglect.”

Newport Bay is the first of 15 polluted Orange County waterways to have limits set on how much sediment, bacteria, nutrients and other materials can flow into them, even though they have been required under the Clean Water Act since 1972.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency first pursued more obvious sources of pollution into water bodies, such as oil refineries, manufacturing and sewage treatment plants. But after dozens of lawsuits across the country--including one filed by Defend the Bay over pollution in Newport Bay--the agency reconsidered. Officials mandated that states set limits on pollution flowing from farms, residential developments and other sources that were largely ignored in earlier efforts.

As a result, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board has been setting limits on pollutants in Newport Bay. By 2014, the water must meet swimming standards, and by 2020, it must meet shellfish harvesting standards.