City to Host Workshop on Water Quality

With recent storms hitting the Southland coast and producing brown, murky waters from runoff, Seal Beach’s water quality workshop scheduled for tonight at City Hall could not be more timely.

In addition to urban runoff producing hazardous conditions, a sewage spill on Tuesday closed local beaches for at least three days.

Stephen Weisburg, executive director of the Southern Coastal Water Research Project, will make a presentation at the public meeting. Weisburg plans to discuss the investigation that took place after Huntington Beach was closed for much of the summer in 1999 because of high bacteria levels.

In addition to giving a review of the quality of Southern California beaches documented by 22 organizations in 1998, he said the same groups took water samples on Tuesday.

Weisburg said samples taken on Tuesday will show what bacteria levels would be like if “you were to swim the day after a storm.” The 1998 samples were taken in the summer, long after winter storms.

Results from Tuesday’s samples will not be known for three to six months. Both surveys were taken along the coast from Seal Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. Southern California agencies involved in the study include all county health departments, sanitation districts, two universities and two chapters of the Surfrider Foundation.

“This involved everyone that does routine microbiological monitoring [of local waters],” Weisburg said.

Seal Beach Mayor Paul Yost, who is hosting the meeting, said the intent is to raise public awareness of water quality issues. He said various approaches to handling urban runoff will be discussed, and he welcomes comments from residents.

Yost said he views water quality restoration as “a marathon rather than a sprint.” He plans to address the use of the Department of Water and Power vacant land along the San Gabriel River Channel. Resort development companies have expressed interest in the prime location close to the coast.

City Engineer Steve Badum will speak on beach-cleaning methods and equipment and related environmental projects at the meeting scheduled 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Alex Murashko can be reached at (714) 966-5974.