County finds way to fund coastal-water testing
Jeff McDonald
San Diego Union-Tribune
03/24/2009
With spring break looming and rising temperatures luring thousands of people to local beaches, county supervisors on Tuesday did what their counterparts across the state accomplished months ago: They found a way to conduct coastal water testing without state funding.
After a brief hearing, the Board of Supervisors agreed to spend up to $150,000 a year to monitor water quality at 18 of the region's most popular beaches, from Trestles at San Onofre to Tidelands Park in Coronado.
The supervisors hope to recover the money after California makes nearly $2 million in bond proceeds available to counties.
Environmental groups applauded the unanimous vote, which came days before the peak beachgoing season starts April 1.
“The county plays a critical role in protecting public health,” Karen Franz of San Diego Coastkeeper told the supervisors. “It is imperative that you continue to support this kind of work.”
State-paid coastal water monitoring had been in place since the 1990s. Then last year, the funding became a casualty of the latest budget skirmish in Sacramento.
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the nearly $1 million annual expenditure, San Diego County's environmental health officials quietly dropped their program rather than spend county money.
At least six other coastal counties maintained the monitoring at some level, according to Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica-based group that tracks beach and bay pollution statewide.
The testing is designed to alert swimmers and surfers to bacterial contamination caused by storm runoff, spills and other sources of pollution.
Supervisor Greg Cox brought the funding request to his board colleagues after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported last month about the county's defunct program.
“I was very shocked and disappointed that Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed” the state money for coastal monitoring, Cox said at Tuesday's board meeting. “For many people, California's coast is what makes California.”
In recent years, San Diego County had received about $300,000 annually to perform the testing.
The new program won't be as widespread because of its smaller budget. But Cox and others said it would work for the time being.
“We can have a well-designed program that's half the cost (and) can be reimbursed with bond money,” Cox said...
