Runoff may not have been sole cause of beach bacteria

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- City officials said they’re not surprised by the

preliminary results of a study released last week that suggested urban

runoff was not the only source of last year’s beach contamination.

“If it had been one source, we would have discovered that last summer,”

City Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff said.

The UCI study focused on the Talbert Marsh by Pacific Coast Highway and

Brookhurst Street. Some of the highest levels of bacteria were first

reported in the surf zone by the marsh in July. The bacteria spread along

the coast, forcing health officials to close more than four miles of

shoreline by August, ruining the city’s peak tourist season.

Many suspected the source of the problem was runoff -- untreated waste

water that flows from lawns and streets to storm drains and out into the

ocean.

The two-week, $150,000 study conducted in December showed the marsh to be

a “significant” source of ocean contamination, more so than runoff, but

that other unknown causes are contributing to the problem, said Stanley

Grant, an engineering professor who led the study.

Grant described runoff as a “smoking BB gun,” and the marsh as a “smoking

.22 [caliber rifle].”

“The smoking cannon is still out there somewhere,” he said.

That leaves open the possibility of a repeat of last summer, he said.

“I have no reason to believe that history won’t repeat itself,” he said.

Although some runoff flows through the marsh -- a 25-acre wetlands

preserve -- researchers suspect the high bacteria levels found there are

more likely caused by heavy concentrations of animal feces, probably from

birds that use the area as a sanctuary, he said.

The final report will be completed in a few months, but city officials

have already approved different studies that will consider other

potential sources of beach contamination, such as the Santa Ana River,

said Robert Beardsley, the city’s director of public works.

The studies are part of the city’s plan to spend more than $1 million

investigating the problem, he said.

“We don’t want to see a repeat of [last summer],” he said. “No one does.”