Harboring a Suspicion

How much do docked boats contribute to harbor pollution? It’s not just a question for marine biologists and environmentalists. There are a lot of people spending one or more nights on their boats in Orange County docks.

The city of Huntington Beach recently asked its staff to look at prohibiting boat owners from staying overnight on vessels. The reaction has been understandably strong. The city needs to be sure it knows what it’s talking about and, if necessary, begin with less drastic remedies and work from there.

The outcome is obviously of great importance to those who bunk on board. The new scrutiny also comes when many coastal cities are looking to improve water quality. There are more than 3,000 boat slips in Huntington Harbour, and the city has a law that states boaters can stay on their vessels for as long as 72 hours. Many, no doubt, stay longer, and even turn their boats into floating condos.

Councilman Ralph H. Bauer is proposing the prohibition because he believes that some overnight boaters are illegally flushing sewage. They are supposed to use pump-out stations, go three miles to sea or use a private service. Harbor pollution does not seem to be in question. The county’s Health Care Agency has said that there have been high bacterial levels in various points in the harbor hundreds of times this year. But it is less clear on the source. The city is trying to figure that out.

It may be that a few are making a problem for many. It seems the city needs to do two things before taking drastic action. First, it should determine the source of harbor pollution. Second, it should not be difficult to identify boats that are inoperable, and therefore can’t be moved to the pump-out stations. That seems a logical place to start any crackdown. A manager at a marina in Dana Point has a good idea used elsewhere; dye tablets can be put in holding tanks to later identify sources of flushed sewage. The city should be lauded for efforts to clean the harbor. What it needs is good information and a remedial program that isn’t an overreaction.