Cleaning Up Our Beaches

Specialists in marine biology offered some valuable suggestions this month to Orange County officials in the event of another beach closure because of pollution.

Environmentalists, oceanographers and microbiologists said one early step is to determine if the source of contamination is bacteria from animals or humans.

Last August, county officials thought the bacteria in the waters off Huntington Beach were caused by humans, the likely result of a sewer leak. Finding the source of the leak became a priority.

Subsequent testing produced little but frustration. Eventually the investigators concluded that the contamination resulted from a combination of urban runoff and animal waste in Talbert Marsh.

Learning the source sooner could have allowed officials to divert water from the marsh into a treatment plant rather than having it flow untreated to the ocean, the usual practice.

The diversion might have allowed the speedier reopening of the beach at a time of peak demand.

This month, USC’s Sea Grant Institutional Program for environmental studies sponsored a program that included a three-day review of the beach closure and investigation of contamination. The marine biology specialists heard presentations from county officials, including those of the Orange County Sanitation District, who tried to identify the source of the pollution.

It’s good that county officials took part in the study sessions even though they realized that some of their actions might be criticized.

Beach closures unfortunately are becoming more frequent in Southern California, including Orange County. Until they can be stopped, learning how to minimize the effects is the best course of action.

Also worth consideration is the suggestion that an agency other than a sanitation district be in charge of hunting for the source of pollution. That might open investigators to a wider range of possibilities rather than focusing on human contamination for too long.

In January, county supervisors approved spending more than $460,000 to help divert urban runoff from storm drains. Keeping runoff from ocean waters can be a big help in keeping the beaches open.