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Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser June 26:
The Belmont Brewing Co. once again opened their doors to us and helped us serve several
dozen customers/benefactors. This was a really fun and rewarding event again this year. It
provided us with an opportunity to meet new friends in the community, spread our ideas and
raise funds to fuel our efforts. Aside from the $5 individual donations received, one new
friend of the Task Force donated $500 on the spot!!! Check out
how much fun we had.
Chapter Formation:
The Huntington/Long Beach Surfrider Chapter's Executive Committee graciously voted to
allow the Breakwater Task Force to pursue its graduation into a full-fledged Surfrider
Foundation chapter centered in Long Beach. This will allow those volunteers whose focus is
on the breakwater to continue this pursuit while also providing attention to several
related Long Beach watershed issues such as the LA River outfall, Colorado Lagoon and
conservation of the Los Cerritos Wetlands among other issues. The full registration of the
chapter, its official name and mission statement are in process. Participation in the LB
Breakwater has always and will continue to be a grass-roots movement--you do not need to
be a Surfrider member to be active and effective. However, we encourage your interest in
joining us and becoming caretakers of the coast. At your request, we can send you
literature describing our parent organization, Surfrider Foundation, which also has a
membership application attached.
Wine Tasting Fundraiser:
We've decided to start planning this event for August or September. If you'd like to
help with the ideas and ground work, please jump in!
Volunteer Water Testing:
The testing plan has been put in writing and July is the first month of full-blown
weekly testing with trained groups of volunteers to assigned to specific locations. If
you'd like to get involved, it's not too late, please call Monica at (562) 439-6127.
Colorado Lagoon Water Quality:
The local papers have reported issues with the Colorado Lagoon. This area is of
interest to our Task Force because we
have used the area as a water testing training site and the body of water is contiguous
with the outer harbor inside of the breakwater. There are still some questions remaining
with the reporting which we will try to discern. The Press-Telegram reports that the LB
Health Department has closed the lagoon because bacteria levels exceeded human-contact
standards. The Grunion-Gazette has reported that plans for cosmetic improvements and
additional amenities have been cancelled because of the reporting of toxins in the
sediment such as zinc, lead, DDT and pesticides. We will stay on top of this issue.
State Budget-River Cleanups:
The governor has approved the final state budget which has two funded items which could
contribute to the cleanup of
the water inside of the breakwater. One item is $650,000 for a boom to catch debris in the
LA River and $300,000 for a similar boom in the San Gabriel River. It is as yet unclear
whether this is in conjunction or a duplication of effort of the pilot project being
conducted by Nautilus Technologies' boom on the LA River. Installation of booms would
bring a welcome relief from debris, but keep in mind that the trash that is seen is the
tip of the iceberg of the pollutants that are impairing our ocean.
Long Beach Lawsuit Settled with Water Board:
After three years of litigation, Long Beach and the Regional Water Quality Control
Board have come to an understanding that LB can use its own methods for meeting urban
runoff limits without going through the reporting process previously adopted by the Board
and approved by the 85 other cities in the jurisdiction. Passed in 1996, the Countywide
Storm Water Permit was created to set common rules for cities to reduce the amount of
pollution seeping into public waterways. There is reason to be skeptical that this
compromise is no benefit for our water--we must keep an eye on these developments.