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Sewage
spill ruins Labor Day ocean fun
Over
Labor Day week end in the sweltering heat,
beachgoers at Huntington and Newport Beach
were banned from entering the water due
to a sewage spill. One would think that
our civilization has come far enough that
we can prevent these things from happening.
We can nearly guarantee that nuclear reaction
plants will not backfire (if only to convince
the public to build a new one) but sewage
spills are still allowed to contaminate
the water periodically.
How
disgusting! At a beach where at 8 a.m. the
people were flocking to any available parking
space, and those spots were non-existent
even at that early hour. People were scanning
for barbeque pits while the sun was still
rubbing sleep from its eyes. After all their
hard work trekking from the car to the ocean,
they were pulled from the water and denied
their right to the refreshing ocean spray
because that spray was tainted with 13,000
gallons of treated and untreated wastewater,
according to the Orange County Register.
Around
1:30 p.m., on a day which reached nearly
a 100 degree temperature, the waste from
the Orange Country Sanitation District's
Plant 2 at Brookhurst and Pacific Coast
Highway leaked into the Santa Ana River
and from there flowed into the ocean. The
Orange County Register reported that a power
disruption caused the leakage. Where were
the backup generators?
An
insertion of even more pollution is something
that our oceans would do better without.
Perhaps one day we will be able to swim
in the oceans without rushing home to take
a shower and wondering what kind of dirt
and bacteria has dried onto our bodies.
Since all water is connected, this run-off
will seep into groundwater to some degree,
potentially ingested by those who sip from
tap water. The water we drink is tested
and de-contaminated of course, but it definitely
gives you something to think about.
Fecal
bacteria can cause gastro-intestinal illness,
which resembles intestinal flu. Cramps,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and dehydration
are common symptoms, according to the National
Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
This is not how most people imagine spending
their Labor Day weekend. Hopefully no one
was infected with the bacteria during their
quick rush from the contaminated water.
People
are being encouraged to migrate to northern
Huntington Beach, notorious for its feeble
parking spots, for swim and surf. Then again,
the water wasn't very clean to begin with.
Ocean water is filled with runoff from pesticides,
chemicals, animal waste, street debris,
and of course, children's urine.
Interestingly,
in 2000 the city of Huntington Beach and
the Orange County Sanitation District pioneered
a testing program for the increasing bacteria
levels along the coast and ocean-water closures.
The city, along with Newport and Seal Beach,
is involved in another shoreline study that
evaluates the contamination sources from
the Santa Ana River. The study includes
creating a plan with economic benefits and
a feasibility study, scheduled to finish
in 2008. Just think of how much matter slips
into the ocean in five years. Now picture
yourself swimming in it.
Fortunately,
the water is fine for most of the year and
the proper authorities will close off the
ocean when the water hits high enough contamination
levels.
Good
luck to those of you who took a dip in the
Pacific this weekend.
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