City says it’s serious about water quality

Last week the city of Newport Beach again showed that it is serious when it comes to ensuring the cleanliness and safety of the water in the harbor and off the beaches.

By approving the construction of a 13,000-square-foot ocean water quality testing lab and educational facility on Shellmaker Island in the Back Bay, the city has changed “everything on how we deal with water pollution at the beach,” noted Newport environmentalist Jack Skinner told the Daily Pilot. Once the Back Bay Science Center is finished, possibly in about a year, tests of water quality ? such as after the flush of rains that came through the community last week ? could be finished in as little as four hours, rather than the day or two they now take. That is precious time that will enable officials to announce if the Back Bay or harbor are safe for swimming.

The price for this quick turnaround is steep: about $4.5 million, nearly half of which will come in the form of city money. But as we’ve said before ? and we believe the vast majority of the Newport-Mesa community agrees ? having clean, safe water is a top priority. The cost is high, but the reward is great ? and certainly worth it.

An added benefit to the project is the opening of a science center filled with information about the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve.

The Back Bay is a delightful treasure that deserves more notice and more attention. It is set to get plenty of both.