"Another Sad Day in Paradise"
continued from page 3
Then, in what appeared to be a landmark victory for local environmentalists, in November of 1997, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously to prohibit discharges into Malibu Creek by Tapia from May to November. Under terms of the ruling, excess water was to be diverted, resold, or contained during these months.
The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, operators of the Tapia facility, were successful in getting the Regional Board to rescind this ruling with the stipulation that, when the berm at the mouth of the creek closes during the summer months, discharging would stop - a promise they have not always kept. As of November 1, the dry season prohibition is no longer in effect. Now, for Malibu beach users and surfers, all bets are off.
This latest episode is yet another demonstration of a reckless disregard of public health and safety issues related to recreational beach users. It is also further proof that the current practice of "managing" water levels in the creek and lagoon demands serious scrutiny.
A recent study by the Coastal Commission and UCLA demonstrates conclusively that the Malibu Lagoon, over the course of the dry season months, is a repository for a myriad of pollutants. Pollutants that in no small part are generated by Tapia. Because of Tapia's discharge practices, Malibu's creek and lagoon have not seen natural water levels in more than 30 years. Natural filtration processes have ceased. Because of the resulting high water levels, backup and leaching of residential and commercial septic systems is a constant concern.
California's beaches contribute $73 billion annually to the national economy and generate $14 billion in Federal tax revenue. In addition to jeopardizing human health, incidents such as these are now also producing negative economic consequences for beach residents and business operators throughout the state. Public health, environmental and economic values of Malibu will continue to be at risk until all Tapia discharges into the Malibu watershed are banned permanently.
The Malibu Chapter has long been fighting for such a ban. As the birthplace of this organization, we all have a vested interest in seeing that this objective is reached.
Surfing the Hook is special because the skyline of Manhattan is the back drop for the wave which is the closest thing we have to a point break. The biggest threat to the spot is renewed ocean dumping. Ocean dumping was stopped in 1997; however, a New York based oil company has filed an application to dump contaminated dredge spoils at the Mud Dump just six miles off the beach at Sandy Hook.
The solution for protecting the beach and surf in New Jersey is Surfrider, the Jersey Shore Chapter and Clean Ocean Action, a consortium of environmental groups of which the Jersey Shore Chapter is a member.
Beach access in New Jersey is still a problem because of the mix of private and public beaches, but it's getting better, in large measure due to the fact that the Chapter's reputation precedes it. We have been successful in opening beaches. We prefer to talk but when that fails, we are ready to litigate. Chapter victories include Deal, Ortley Beach, Mantoloking, Pt. Pleasant Beach, and Monmouth Beach. Rather than seeing the towns as our enemies, we have joined with towns in fighting lawsuits arising from ocean injuries. Towns actually look to us for advice on ocean-related liability issues.
I started surfing in 1962 in Normandy Beach. I bought my first board for $90.00 from Charlie Keller. (That same board just sold at a classic auction for $850.00). Back then there were just a few of us. We learned by doing or from magazines, movies and surfers passing through. A lot has changed since then but one thing remains constant- the waves. If you surf all year on the Jersey Shore you put up with heat and high humidity in the summer and walk through snow drifts in the winter. The water ranges from 75F in the summer to 35F with below zero wind chills in the winter. But the waves are worth it.