Get Serious About Runoff

The perception has grown in Orange County that all is not well along the shoreline. The Orange County coast is no longer immune to the sort of pollution problems experienced in Santa Monica Bay. This became painfully obvious in recent years when waters off Huntington Beach became off-limits for extended periods of time.

If the concern has been one of perception, there is a new grand jury report to provide documentation. Signs warning beachgoers about contaminated water are becoming common. The report urges more attention to urban runoff and argues persuasively that responses must cut across traditional jurisdictions.

The report begins with statistics that ought to shock us out of any satisfaction with the status quo. On average, there now are warning postings of some kind at 10 locations a day in Orange County. The chief culprit is the volume of urban runoff coming from various watersheds. On dry days, an average of 100 million gallons a day pours into Orange County waters, and during the rainy season, it’s a staggering 10 to 20 times that number.

The grand jury has some sensible recommendations. Among them, the county needs a better way to make a connection between water quality and illness. The county no longer can assume that the quality of local waters is good enough.

The Health Care Agency already monitors water quality, but the grand jury recommends coordination with research at local universities to better understand the effect on swimmers. A good example of university involvement in ocean water quality has been the work that UC Irvine researchers have done off Huntington Beach.

Orange County has a sophisticated environmental community, and university scientists are willing to develop a Web site to provide updated information on water quality.

Also, the county has been increasing its general awareness of ocean water quality issues. For example, Supervisor Tom Wilson’s office has thought about how to attack the water quality problem on a regional basis. There are many highly motivated individuals and environmental groups already doing a good job. They and the universities provide a pool for more coordinated work. The report notes that the 13 watershed areas within Orange County can do more to work together.

The grand jury is to be commended for looking at this problem regionally and with fresh eyes. Simply by challenging the notion that the county should put up with deteriorating water quality, it has done a public service.