On Thanksgiving Morning, Laguna Beach Woke
On Thanksgiving morning, Laguna Beach woke to a massive sewage discharge of at least 1.4 million gallons of raw sewage at Bluebird Beach in the middle of the State Marine Reserve.
As a native Californian, I have been fortunate to experience the wonder of our state’s natural resources. Laguna’s interconnected Greenbelt and Bluebelt account for the beauty and success of our community. These precious assets deserve our top priority in 2020 to also protect us from the harsh impacts of climate change, sea level rise and global warming.
The city’s Environmental & Sustainability Committee (ESC) needs to review and provide steps for implementation of the recommended actions of the “Wastewater Task Force (WTF)” as approved by City Council on Sept. 16, 2014. The ESC is committed to addressing matters central to the health of our community.
Among current ESC members are watermen, techies, surfers, animal advocates, engineers, architects and academics well educated on issues relating to air, land and water pollution. The ESC is familiar with today’s discharges of contaminates of concern such as plastic microbeads in toothpaste and cosmetics, plastic microfibers in clothing, combining with pharmaceutical drugs and hormones entering the stream of 10 million gallons of secondary sewage from Laguna Beach and inland cities discharged each day only 1.5 miles offshore adjacent to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
There is no other issue more important to Laguna Beach and the economy than the ocean.
Going forward, it would be wise to collect samples of beach sand near Bluebird Beach and the unpermitted discharge point of 1.4 million gallons of raw sewage over Thanksgiving weekend. For perspective, this is equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools overflowing with sewage to the beach and ocean. Sewage “nutrients” saturating the beach sand may incubate for many weeks and “bloom” during warmer days.
Likewise, a near shore survey by qualified marine biologists of MS4 regulated coastal receiving waters and State Marine Reserve (SMR) within the raw sewage plume must assess the health of shellfish, lobsters and other marine life habitat along the sea floor and food chain to determine the bio-accumulation of sewage toxins in protected marine life. Urban runoff and sea floor sediment bonds to pollutants.
Laguna’s sea life is a vital nursery for regional recreational and commercial fisheries beyond our MPA borders. Lobster catch rates and subsequent incomes may be impaired by fears of local ocean pollution and seafood contamination.
The ocean is a jewel to be enjoyed, honored and protected. I can’t imagine any good citizen would disagree. This recent sewage disaster is an opportunity and challenge to all concerned citizens and groups to demand modernization of the Coastal Treatment Plant for zero liquid discharges to Laguna’s most valuable asset—the ocean.
Let your voice be heard. Consider filing complaints with CalEPA for Laguna Beach’s illegal sewage spill of over 1.4 million gallons of raw sewage closing 16 miles of South County beaches and top surf areas for five days over Thanksgiving weekend.
Already, local individuals have filed with CalEPA and other groups are preparing complaints to SDRWQCB and the Coastal Commission, among other agencies. Maximum fines of $10 per gallon will make the City of Laguna Beach re-allocate as much as $14 million for necessary inspections of the entire sewer system and take basic preventive maintenance and repairs before the next massive sewage spill. Funds need to be set aside for a five-year Marine Life Recovery Project at sewage discharge sites.
The Laguna Beach unpermitted discharge in State Marine Reserves and regional fisheries is the result of gross negligence.
Routine inspections would have detected corroded valves before the spill. Likewise, the Laguna Beach County Water District (LBCWD) and SOCWA should have readily available proper pipe clamping devices, roll-out rubber water storage bladders, mobile Baker tanks and sewage trucks as preventative emergency measures, rather than simply dumping raw sewage into popular surf and dive spots.
The 1.4 million gallon estimate does not account for weeks or months of seepage leading up to the corroded valve rupture, sending raw sewage 30 feet into the air next to The Ranch as it flowed to Aliso Creek and the Aliso Beach surf zone. How many other valves are corroding now?
I hope you can add your voice to this careless pollution of the ocean. The absence of a vigorous objection to this massive sewage discharge may lead the various agencies to assume the public does not genuinely care about ocean pollution. Please consider filing complaints on behalf of the community and fragile sea life.
Let’s really protect the coast we love most.
Mike Beanan serves on the city’s Environmental & Sustainability Committee and is co-founder of the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition.
