Laying Waste to District’s Credibility

Re “Waste Water Detected Near Newport Since ‘87,” Sept. 27:

One more incident comes to light causing further deterioration in the public trust of the Orange County Sanitation District.

Though I don’t believe that a sinister motive was behind this information not coming out, the alternative is either ineptness or cavalier disregard for the public safety. The district board of directors must be held accountable. The staff of the OCSD follows the direction of their board of directors, if they choose to direct.

City council members make up this board, one from each of the cities served by the district, except those served by a local sanitation district. In addition, Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva, James Ferryman (Costa Mesa Sanitary District), Joy L. Neugebauer (Midway City Sanitary District) and Brian J. Brady (Irvine Ranch Water District) serve on the board.

These are elected officials. They have a responsibility to respond to citizen concerns, and the citizens have a responsibility to let their city councils know how they feel about this issue. Though the waiver renewal decision does not come up for another year, the shift to full compliance with the Clean Water Act requires planning to start now.

There is no excuse for this county to circumvent the Clean Water Act and reapply to continue this dumping for another six years.

Dennis Baker

Corona del Mar

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The district should be ashamed.

The time for action is now. Get rid of the waiver and go immediately to full secondary treatment. The district knows it takes years. The sewage problem is getting worse.

Eileen Murphy

Huntington Beach

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Many thanks for your coverage of the district’s shameful “neglect” to disclose the waste water drift up to half a mile from the Newport Beach shore. Certainly the agency has been aware of the concern with the drift in Huntington Beach and of the public’s need to know the facts, regardless of whether the OCSD thinks we should know.

This disclosure should educate the public--and especially all Orange County management officials, elected and appointed--that the citizens in a democracy are owed disclosure of something so vital to our health and our future. The deception makes it more vital than ever for the public to insist that OCSD discontinue its shortsighted quest to seek yet another 301(h) waiver of EPA regulations. It should serve as a wake-up call to all Orange County citizens that any official who continues to favor the waiver should be voted off of the sanitation board.

Iryne Black

Newport Beach

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Initially the district said the sewage plume would be pumped 41/2 miles offshore, it would not come any closer to shore than three miles, and this would be safe. Then it was found to come within a mile of shore, but this too was safe. The ocean thermoclines, we were told, would keep the plume from reaching shore. Now the safety threshold has been revised to half a mile.

It seems that there is an inverse correlation between the number of studies done and the distance of sewage from the shore. If the plume comes within 200 feet are we going to be told that too is OK?

I know it’s cheaper not to secondarily treat sewage, but it seems to me that the safer alternative is to secondarily treat until conclusive, daily, multiyear scientific studies can be done.

Eric Hardeman

Fullerton