Surfrider: Sewage Spill Updates and Where to Surf After the Rain
Sewage Spills and Urban Runoff
Press Release
Surfline
01/03/2011
The recent rains have been hiding the sun lately but are doing a great job filling up our local reservoirs. Fresh water supply will continue to be a vital issue in California so please continue to conserve water and don't take it for granted. Send us a photo of your filled rain barrel and we'll send you prize!
The rain does have two bad sides though: sewage spills increase and urban runoff flows to the ocean and bays. Heavy rains can overflow stormwater infrastructure in some areas which overwhelms the wastewater system causing it to flood raw or partially treated sewage water. Sometimes debris from heavy rain can damage pipes or connections causing a sewage spill. Anytime of the year grease and tree roots can clog pipes or old pipes/infrastructure can break sending sewage into local creeks and rivers.
It seems fairly common to hear about sewage spills after a big rain but most are preventable. In 2001, lawyers representing the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coastkeeper sued the City of San Diego for violating the federal Clean Water Act. The lawsuit focused on the City's history of chronic sewage spills, which at the time of filing averaged almost a spill a day. In 2007, the San Diego City Council approved a final settlement which mandates that by 2013 the City will replace at least 450 miles of aged sewer pipes, upgrade and/or replace more than 20 pump stations, and continue implementation of an aggressive inspection and maintenance program. Since 2000, the City of San Diego's early implementation of the Consent Decree terms has resulted in an approximately 80% reduction in sewage spills, including those during one of the rainiest years ever experienced in the region (2005). While Surfrider is extremely pleased with the outcome of this lawsuit and the significant reduction in sewage spills to date, continued monitoring is needed and we look to work with other cities to reduce sewage spills.
Urban runoff is all around us. It can be described surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization and the problem is that is transports all sorts of pollutants from our local streets, sidewalks, parking lots and other paved areas to creeks, rivers, lagoons, bays and the ocean. It most cases it is not treated in any way to be cleaner. It's the leaky car fluids on the road and brake dust you can't see. It's the dog poop someone else left behind along with the fertilizer and pesticides that some people use excessively on their home and business landscapes. It's non-point source pollution and it is tough to track the polluters but it is caused by lots of people all around us. You can help by having an Ocean Friendly Garden at home, making sure trash and recyclables makes it to the right place and reporting storm water violations when people or business put pollutants in storm drains.
Where to surf after the rain:
1) Check with the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) for the latest updates on beach and bay closures: Click Here or call 619-338-2073.
2) General rule of thumb is to avoid contact with any recreational water for 72 hours after a rainfall of .2" or more. It's worth waiting to avoid getting sick. The two most common illnesses contracted from contact with polluted ocean water are stomach flu & upper respiratory infections. Additional problems can include skin rashes and ear, nose and throat infections.
3) Where to go: When you decide to venture back in the ocean or bay it's a good idea to avoid water contact near storm drain outlets and river, creek or lagoon outlets. If you do your research there are a few areas that are fairly far away from urbanization and potentially cleaner but one of them was recently impacted by a one million+ gallon sewage spill so be sure to stay tuned to the DEH and local news. Parts of Mission Beach and La Jolla are some of the rare places that do have some level of stormwater treatment but there is no promise the water will be clean so proceed with caution. Ocean currents know no boundaries and can bring in pollution from nearby areas.
4) Although the surf in South County can be epic, it's generally a good idea to avoid it altogether in the winter as pollution from the Tijuana River triggers closures from the DEH. Click Here for more info and cool real time tracking of the Tijuana River flow and ocean plume. Surfrider has a No BS (Border Sewage) campaign aimed at reducing pollution by working with other organizations on both sides of the border to find solutions.
