City Should Plug Credibility Drain

Dozens of beach closings last summer and the recent spill of nearly 270,000 gallons of barely treated waste into Newport Bay have brought the fragility of local waters into the forefront of public consciousness. The problems of upstream pollution sources, meanwhile, are so persistent and problematic that the Orange County Sanitation District this fall agreed to take on substantial diversions of urban runoff water.

Taking care of the problems that we know about is one thing, but concern recently surfaced about what is going on behind the scenes. The disclosure that Huntington Beach sewer lines leaked millions of gallons of raw waste underground during the last decade, and that this went unreported to water and health agencies, was shocking. State water officials are right to be concerned, and the district attorney’s interest in the case is warranted. State officials have issued an order to find out where sewage went and to clean up any remaining contamination.

There is no evidence that these leaks contributed to the summer closings along the city waterfront, and researchers believe that the closures did not result from city sewer lines. On that score, the city recently conducted a remarkable inspection of every sewage pipe in the city, doing soil tests and exploring marshes. For its thorough and credible job on that front, however, it now faces embarrassment and criticism for not addressing old problems.

A number of city memos demonstrated that crews were unable to keep up with the needs of the system, and that they worried about a lack of money to address the problem.

Under state law, health officials are supposed to be notified immediately of such discharges. To do otherwise puts the public unnecessarily at risk. Most citizens rely on the city to protect them and have a reasonable expectation that water is clean unless they are notified otherwise. This problem has to do with a city’s representations about water quality.

Also of concern is the extent of the problem. The thousands of cracks and hundreds of holes in pipes give evidence of a deteriorating and aging system. To its credit, the city last year began a big repair program to reinforce pipes. But the fact that so little was said about the leaks raises a serious credibility question for the city.