Task Force to Study Nitrate Flow Into Bay

A task force including water officials and three wholesale nursery operators was created Thursday to analyze the problem of nitrates flowing into Newport Bay.

At the request of the nurseries, the group’s initial job will be to determine just how much of the nutrient found in fertilizers and sewage is actually entering the bay and from what sources.

Dr. John F. Skinner, a Newport Beach internist, said in a recent study that an estimated 12,000 pounds of nitrates washing daily into Newport Bay have caused explosive growth of plankton and algae, which gives the water its murky brown color. Skinner is a water sports enthusiast who has been active in bay pollution studies in recent years.

While nitrates pose no threat to public health or wildlife, Skinner argued that the dirty look of the water and the growth of nuisance plants and algae around boats and docks makes the bay an unpleasant place to swim or boat.

Sources Identified

Skinner’s study identified the main sources as fertilizer-rich runoff from three nurseries in the foothills northeast of Irvine, runoff from water-intensive crops and reclaimed sewer water discharged by the Irvine Ranch Water District. He said the nurseries together may generate 75% of the nitrates flowing into the bay.

The Irvine Ranch Water District, which Skinner estimates could be contributing more than 2,500 pounds of nitrates daily during winter months, expects to discontinue discharges from a holding reservoir once a pipeline linking them to the Orange County Sanitation Districts is completed by next winter.

Officials for Hines Wholesale Nurseries, Bordier’s Nursery and El Modeno Gardens Inc. say they do not believe there is enough hard data to determine their industry’s contribution. They also emphasize that the problem is solely an aesthetic one.

At a “brainstorming session” sponsored Thursday by state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach), however, nursery officials indicated their willingness to cooperate in defining the problem and seeking control measures that would not be onerous to their industry.

More Information Sought

“What we’re really saying is that we do in fact have water running off our properties that has nutrients in it--that’s no surprise to anyone,” said Bud Summers, technical resource manager for Hines.

“But there is no qualitative information that says the amount we discharge has a biological impact on Newport Bay. What we really want is a well-defined, intelligent base of information to work from to help determine what kind of control methods could be used,” Summers said.

In fact, Summers said, as a cost-saving measure, Hines already has moved to reduce the amount of runoff from its 420-acre facility by extending an existing drip-irrigation system. Because reclamation and treatment systems are expensive, he said nursery operators want to proceed cautiously.

The eight-member task force also will include representatives of Newport Beach, the Irvine Co., the Irvine Ranch Water District, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, the county Environmental Management Agency and the state Department of Fish and Game, and Skinner’s wife, Nancy.

In preparation for the task force’s first meeting in mid-April, water board environmental engineers on Thursday completed two days of sampling throughout the bay watershed.