Report Says Creek Isn’t So Bad Off

Orange County and Laguna Niguel officials released new data Friday about bacteria counts in Aliso Creek, hoping the improved numbers will allay regional water officials’ concerns about the polluted waterway.

“It’s a lot of new data that they’ve never had before,” said Herb Nakasone, program development manager for the county’s flood control district. “The data they had in some cases was over a year old. We hope they see a lot of changes have happened.”

The information was sent in a letter to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, which ordered the county and city Dec. 28 to find the source of the pollution and clean up the creek. A public hearing on the cleanup order is set for Wednesday.

Aliso Creek drains more than 34 square miles of land from the Santa Ana Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Niguel. Pollution problems have plagued the watershed.

According to the new data, recent bacteria levels for Aliso Creek and one of its tributaries, Sulphur Creek, are within the acceptable range, according to the letter. The storm channel near the Kite Hill neighborhood still has elevated coliform levels, but fecal coliform and e. coli counts are down from previous years, the letter states.

Nakasone said Laguna Niguel’s ongoing efforts, such as diverting some runoff from the storm channel to a wetlands area and educating residents about how they contribute to urban runoff, have made the difference.