Surf City may receive funds to prevent urban runoff

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The city, as well as the rest of Orange County,

may receive state money earmarked to prevent shoreline pollution from

urban runoff and sewage spills.

Gov. Gray Davis has included a $100-million beach pollution initiative

in his $100-billion state budget package, released Wednesday, to

hopefully reduce beach postings and closures over the next few years.

“Obviously, we’re very pleased with the governor’s recognition that

this is a statewide problem that needs attention,” said Richard Barnard,

a city spokesman. “Southern California has been particularly hard hit.”

State administration officials said storm drain and sewage pollution

caused 5,000 beach closures and warnings in California last year, with

158 in Huntington Beach. Surf City and state beaches were closed due to

high bacteria levels for most of the summer in 1999.

Although the Legislature must still hold hearings on the governor’s

overall budget later this year, and the state’s Water Resources Control

Board would decide where the beach pollution funds are allocated, city

officials believe the money will help continue mitigation measures

already in place.

Huntington Beach has been working with the Orange County Sanitation

District to reroute urban runoff through the district’s water treatment

process before it reaches the ocean. Meanwhile, the sanitation district

is preparing for summer ocean water tests to determine whether effluent

from a sewage outfall pipe may have played a part in last year’s beach

closures.

Assemblyman Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach), said in a statement that

this city is “well-positioned to receive funds, given our highly

publicized extended closures.”