Birds Blamed for Pollution at ‘Kiddie Beach’

Sea gulls and other birds are the most likely cause of bacteria that forced the closure of “Kiddie Beach,” a once-popular site that’s been named the most polluted beach in Southern California.

According to a county-commissioned study, Channel Islands Harbor Beach, as it is officially known, is awash in bacteria from bird droppings, exacerbated by a lack of circulation in the strip of still water near the harbor. Officials also suspect littering and other human activities added to the problem.

Fixing it will require cleanups on several fronts, officials say.

“We were hoping there would be a smoking gun, but that was unrealistic,” said Sally Coleman, Oxnard’s technical services manager. “This is the . . . situation we see throughout the state.”

The various factors add up to a bacteria soup in this wading area, which has been posted with “no swimming” signs for the nearly two years in which the site has been regularly tested. It is still sometimes used by picnicking families and others for its still waters, despite the warning signs.

“People apparently bring in loaves of bread to feed” the birds, Coleman said. “It’s not just 10 birds; they’re bringing in hundreds of them.”

Late last week county officials launched a scheme to drive off the birds, placing pinwheel-like spinners on a surge wall where they roost. Officials will check in 60 days to gauge its effectiveness, harbor director Lyn Krieger said.

The report suggests several additional possible remedies, including diverting drain flow, improving water circulation and cleaning the beach better.

Krieger said that although the pollution sources appear to be diffuse, the $118,000 study was worthwhile for what it ruled out.

“There’s a little piece of happy news in there,” she said. “We know it’s not the result of the harbor and it’s not from [leaking] storm drains. That’s one gigantic, expensive piece we can put aside.”

Krieger said her department was still thinking about the circulation problem, which could be expensive to fix, and hoping that removing the birds might solve the problem without having to buy a costly pump.

Dealing with circulation will be a challenge, in part because removing the wall could upset activities at the harbor, creating rough waves and harming boats coming and going, said Vicki Musgrove, water quality manager at the county’s flood control department.

“It’s just complicated,” she said. Pumps, on the other hand, tend to break down in salt water.

Krieger said the department is already implementing some of the other recommendations. Signs are being assembled warning visitors not to feed the birds or feral cats, and more trash can lids are being ordered to stave off the sea gulls.

Officials have also adopted a recommendation to divert about 2,000 gallons a day in discharges through pipes owned by the city of Port Hueneme. That action, which will continue through October, will lower that city’s capacity, but it will reluctantly take the flow, said Carrie Mattingly, Port Hueneme’s waste-water superintendent.

“There are a lot of kids there, and of course we want to protect their health,” Mattingly said. She added, however, that she is unconvinced it will help much. “It’s precedent-setting, and we are a little concerned about that,” she said.

Kiddie Beach has been closed since September 1999 because of the high bacteria and other pathogens, which can cause stomach flu, sinus infections, skin rashes and upper respiratory infection among swimmers.

Last year Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay declared Kiddie Beach the most polluted of 250 beaches between San Luis Obispo and San Diego counties, though its problems are similar to those at beaches across Southern California.

County officials will present the study at a public meeting scheduled for March 28. The time and place will be announced.

At least one beach activist said he believes the county is moving too slowly.

“I find it inconceivable that dealing with birds will solve the problem,” said Lee Quaintance of the watchdog Beacon Foundation. “I see no excuse to delay taking action on the main problem [of circulation]. This has been more than two years of wait-and-see.”