To Fight Urban Runoff, Stop Building Freeways

Re “Seal Beach Takes the Lead,” editorial, Sept. 30:

You correctly point out that Seal Beach is particularly vulnerable to urban runoff because of its proximity to the San Gabriel River. Further, you suggest that raising the street cleaning fees of Seal Beach property owners to $1.46 from 50 cents per month, to increase cleaning days from one to two, would reduce runoff.

It is remarkable that you would endorse so narrow a solution to a major problem. The news of late has been rife with the negative effects of runoff and sewage spills that have been fouling the Orange County shoreline. You fail to mention that the San Diego Freeway between Valley View and the 605 is the busiest stretch of freeway in the United States. At the first rain, the runoff from auto residue alone from that stretch and all the other freeways draining into the San Gabriel River would dwarf our meager attempts to improve our beaches merely by increasing street-cleaning days. Moreover, you fail to mention that Caltrans has notified Seal Beach that it intends to widen the freeway at the approximate location described above. This is bound to make things worse.

The fouling of our shoreline is a regional problem and requires a sensible regional solution. You endorse a whopping percentage increase in our taxes as a solution. Would you be so bold as to recommend a moratorium on freeway expansion, or a commensurate percentage increase in gasoline taxes to solve this problem?

Jack Faust

Seal Beach