Welcoming sewer mains

Laguna Beach marks a milestone this week with the beginning of

reconstruction of 25 sewer mains, a $3-million project.

This might not seem like something to shout about, but it means

city officials are well on the way to cleaning up an embarrassing

chapter in the city’s history.

It is especially embarrassing in light of the city’s image as an

aesthetic and environmental leader.

The fact is that, up until a few years ago, Laguna Beach was

polluting its own coastal waters, and it took the federal government

to step in to make the city clean up its act.

In September 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found

the city to be in violation of water-quality regulations and issued a

Finding of Violation and Order for Compliance.

It seems the city’s sewers had been spilling raw sewage into the

ocean since the late 1990s.

The city had documented some 60 incidents, of which the EPA was

interested in only 20 that were deemed enforceable because the slop

went into federally regulated waters -- the Pacific Ocean.

Those 20 “enforceable” incidents logged a grand total of 334,450

gallons of spillage, including one massive incident in the winter of

1998 -- an El Nino year -- in which 200,000 gallons of “ick” spilled.

One of the locations of these spills is 505 Forest Ave. -- City

Hall. That pretty much says it all about at whose doorstep the

problem lay.

In response, the city promised to clean up the sewers, many of

which were blocked by years of grease and root growth. Strict new

regulations were imposed on restaurants to stop the accumulation of

grease and oil in the sewers, and other measures were taken,

including the creation of a city Water Quality Department with 15

employees.

Reconstruction of the sewer mains will take 10 years but will

certainly be worth it.

For a city that depends upon its beautiful beaches to attract

tourists and for local enjoyment and property values, the importance

of keeping sewage under control cannot be overstated.