Santa Ana River

Paul Clinton The Newport Beach chapter of Surfrider is setting aggressively optimistic goals for the new year and beyond. In recent newsletters to its members, the group has touted a goal to reduce the amount of pollution at the mouth of the Santa Ana River by 50% over the next five years. Surfrider's Newport Beach chapter, founded by Nancy Gardner, set the goal as the centerpiece in its "50 in 5" program. Group members hope to install a network of wetlands, also known as biofiltration ponds, along the bank of the river channel as a way of filtering out bacteria and other pollution found in urban runoff.

Surfers discovered the body of a dead man Saturday morning at the Santa Ana River jetties, Sgt. Dan Dwyer of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. The body, which had yet to be identified Saturday evening, was unclothed and tattooed, according to Dwyer. He estimated that the man was in his 30s and had been dead for a while, but couldn’t speculate on the cause of death. “There were no signs of injury or trauma, for now,” he said. The body was seen at about 10:40 a.m. on a sandbar under a bridge that connects Newport Beach to Huntington Beach.

Paul Clinton A proposal to create a wild lands conservancy to manage land alongside the Santa Ana River has been embraced by local Republicans as a potential way to increase parklands and open space for residents of surrounding cities. Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), the bill's author, has proposed an umbrella agency similar to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy that could tap state bond money to buy land for parks. The Correa proposal, known as Assembly Bill 496, would establish the state agency to manage and protect the 96 miles of river from San Bernardino County to its mouth at the Huntington Beach-Newport Beach border.

Paul Clinton Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Chris Cox have successfully lobbied President Bush for continued federal funding of the 20-year Santa Ana River flood control project. Bush has included $19.8 million in funding for four such projects in his budget covering the 2003-04 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The money would, local officials hope, be used to remove Orange County's flood-plain designation that requires homeowners to shell out at least $800 per year for flood insurance.

Paul Clinton Supervisor Jim Silva joined two board colleagues in opposing a Santa Ana River conservancy that could protect and restore segments of the 96-mile waterway. Silva, who represents segments of the river in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and other areas of Orange County, said the proposal was vague and would create more red tape in Sacramento. "I am concerned about the overlapping jurisdiction a conservancy would create and its effects on county operations," Silva said in a statement Wednesday.

There was a time when the Santa Ana River was more than a dried out, paved vein leading from the San Bernardino mountains through Orange County to a mouth between Newport and Huntington beaches. More than 70 years ago, the Sana Ana River was the lifeblood of the county’s agricultural development. But it also doubled as a deadly force; it was one that, in the years before 1938, people had dismissed after years without incident. Between February and March 1937, more than 15 inches poured down on Southern California.

Newport Beach’s chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is organizing RockWater, a relay-style run across Orange County to raise awareness about a local watershed March 29. Robyn Jepsen of the Newport’s Surfrider chapter said the goal is to bring attention to the Santa Ana River, which carries runoff pollution from inland sources to the ocean. While the significance of the oft-dry 28-mile Santa Ana River channel may seem small, it was once one of the largest rivers in Southern California.

Registration is now open for the third annual RockWater race, which starts in Riverside County and ends in Huntington Beach. The race begins at 9 a.m. March 20. The 28.9-mile race is meant to raise awareness of the Santa Ana River watershed. The race costs $100 per team, which can be up to seven people. Unlike in past years, bicyclists and skateboarders are also welcome to participate. The entry fee includes a RockWater shirt for each team member. The race begins at the border of Orange and Riverside counties and ends at the mouth of the Santa Ana River between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

-- Paul Clinton A winding strip of storm channel remained closed Thursday because of a sewage spill. The Orange County Health Care Agency closed the storm-drain channel that runs southeast of the Santa Ana River on Wednesday after the spill. The spill occurred when an Orange County Sanitation District line broke between 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesday, sending about 500 gallons of raw sewage into the channel. On Thursday, health officials were awaiting test results to determine bacteria levels in the water, known as the Newport Slough.

ORANGE - The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors voted Monday to strike the proposed 19th Street Bridge from the county's master plan. The move effectively ends decades of studies and controversy about the potential bridge that would have linked Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach over the Santa Ana River. Environmentalists and 19th Street residents pleaded Monday to eliminate the bridge, as Huntington Beach Mayor and OCTA Director Don Hansen ushered through the unusual vote to change the county's long-standing master plan.

Despite passionate public outcry from Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa residents about revived talks of the proposed 19th Street Bridge, Newport Beach council members are slow to distance themselves completely from the project. Councilwoman Leslie Daigle is requesting the city reexamine the bridge — which would alleviate traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway and Victoria Street bridges — ahead of either reaffirming the city's position to support it or come out against it. "We're taking it up as an accommodation to our neighbors in H.B. who are impacted by traffic," Daigle wrote in an email.

It's not very likely a lifeguard will spot someone swept to sea by a rip current in the middle of the winter. That's when guards operate with a stripped-down workforce and can only patrol some parts of the city's beaches once a day. If Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff's budget proposal is passed, the odds of rescue will be even longer. And he's OK with that. By cutting full-time staff during the off-season, Kiff believes Newport can save money while still meeting its public safety obligations.

Authorities have identified the body of a man found in the Santa Ana River on Thursday morning. Jesus Enrique Perez, 24, of Garden Grove, was pulled from the mud and brush in the middle of the dry riverbed after witnesses spotted it about 9:30 a.m. Police said he drowned and that there were no signs of foul play. The river was full just a few weeks ago during heavy rainstorms. Orange County sheriff's deputies found Perez' car parked near Fifth Street and Fairview Road in Santa Ana. It's not clear if Perez fell into the river or committed suicide, and there was no fishing equipment found on him or near the car, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Authorities will use a toxicology report to help determine how a Santa Ana man died near Newport Beach earlier this week, officials said. Johnny Sandoval, 20, was found floating dead Wednesday afternoon in the Santa Ana River, which serves as part of the border between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Sandoval had been reported missing in Santa Ana since Sunday, police said. Officials said that after the body was found, it appeared he could’ve been in the water for several days.

In the face of widespread public notices of wind, high surf and strong current advisories, six people took on the elements Thursday afternoon in an outrigger canoe and had to be rescued by the Orange County Sheriff Harbor Patrol. About 4:20 p.m., the six were in the entrance channel to Newport Harbor when their canoe flipped and the group had to be rescued, said Sgt. Steve McCormick of the harbor patrol. “It was a very dangerous situation,” he said. Amid 10- to 12-foot waves, strong winds and currents, the six were fished out of the water unharmed, authorities said.

Registration is now open for the third annual RockWater race, which starts in Riverside County and ends in Huntington Beach. The race begins at 9 a.m. March 20. The 28.9-mile race is meant to raise awareness of the Santa Ana River watershed. The race costs $100 per team, which can be up to seven people. Unlike in past years, bicyclists and skateboarders are also welcome to participate. The entry fee includes a RockWater shirt for each team member. The race begins at the border of Orange and Riverside counties and ends at the mouth of the Santa Ana River between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

There was a time when the Santa Ana River was more than a dried out, paved vein leading from the San Bernardino mountains through Orange County to a mouth between Newport and Huntington beaches. More than 70 years ago, the Sana Ana River was the lifeblood of the county’s agricultural development. But it also doubled as a deadly force; it was one that, in the years before 1938, people had dismissed after years without incident. Between February and March 1937, more than 15 inches poured down on Southern California.

It’s not the end of this race that matters — it’s where it begins. Saturday, members of the Surfriders Newport Beach chapter and various supporters are running nearly 30 miles along the Santa Ana River to highlight the fact that when it comes to trash in the water, the beginning is essentially everywhere. It’s the second annual RockWater Race. At 9 a.m. Saturday, runners from four relay teams will start in the scenic forest-area off Green River Road in Riverside County and head out along the Santa Ana River trail, along the way handing off a small rock to the next leg in the race.