Water Quality

Andrew Edwards Three local beaches are failing as far as the water-quality advocates at Heal the Bay are concerned. However, in a survey released Wednesday, the group gave high marks to most of Newport Beach's waterfront when waters were tested on days with no rain. Heal the Bay, which has headquarters in Santa Monica, issued its 15th annual Beach Report Card on Wednesday. The group graded beaches based on the amount of fecal bacteria detected in water tests.

Alicia Robinson Few cities are more diligent than Newport Beach when it comes to preventing water pollution, but that diligence sometimes ruffles the feathers of residents and business owners cited for violating water-quality rules. As part of its extensive water-quality enforcement program, the city issued close to 1,000 violation notices and citations between July 2003 and June 2004. Information from Orange County's Resources and Development Management Department showed that in the 2002-03 fiscal year, Newport Beach was responsible for 85% of water-quality enforcement actions county-wide.

Testing methods could be leading water-quality experts to post bacteria warnings at clean beaches, new research from Orange County's Newport Beach water-quality lab shows. The research describes how "biofilms" can foster the growth of the bacteria that water-quality testers look for. The bacteria are supposed to indicate the presence of sewage, but scientists found they may also grow naturally in the environment. Donna Ferguson, who supervises the Orange County Health Care Agency's water-quality lab on Shellmaker Island, will present the lab's findings next week at a national Environmental Protection Agency conference in New York.

WEATHER It's not quite a heat wave, but we'll warm up. Hope Costa Mesa likes the mid-80s, because that's what it's going to get. Newport will feel 70s. See Page A2 FORUM The debate over police helicopter noise continues. See Page A5 FOOD REVIEW Tutto Mare at Fashion Island won't let you down as its bountiful and filling portions are worth the price. See Page A11 WATER QUALITY Newport Beach staffers are working to create catchy slogans to relay water-quality needs to residents.

June Casagrande Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the sofa for some hard-core channel surfing, the city of Newport Beach is broadcasting now about, what else? Water. "Waterwise" is the newest weapon in the city's arsenal to educate residents about local water quality. Hosted by city Water Quality Code Enforcement Officer Jim Sinasek, the local cable program is serving up the city's message in easy-to-remember sound bites: "Use a broom, not a hose"; "Water your lawn, not the street"; and, of course, "Pick up after your pet" are some of the basic messages that city officials hope will result in less trash and fewer bacteria in the harbor and ocean.

Newport Beach's water quality during rainy weather improved dramatically at the city's beaches over the last year but continued to rate poorly along the bay, according to a report released by Heal the Bay. The recently released score card monitored water quality at beaches up and down the coast from April 2010 through March. In 2009-10, most of Newport's beaches received F grades during rainy weather. In 2010-11, almost all had A grades. Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said efforts to keep contaminants out of the ocean have made a difference.

Starting Tuesday, TV monitors will alert beachgoers how clean the surf, and more quickly than other methods. Flat-screen monitors placed at Newport Beach Dunes, Huntington State Beach, Doheny State Beach, will all begin receiving real-time water quality reports transmitted from the county health department. There are also monitors at Newport Pier and Big Corona State Beach. Part of an eight-week pilot program, the new water-testing methods are from a collaboration among the county's health care agency, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)

Choosing when to dive into the waters off Newport Beach is as simple a choice as black and white, or in this case, wet and dry. When the weather is dry, which is almost year-round, Newport Beach’s ocean and harbor water quality is great. But when it rains, it’s a complete health hazard, according to a report recently released by the Heal the Bay environmental group, which rated beach water quality statewide. “Newport Beach’s waters, just like greater Orange County, showed very good to excellent water quality during dry weather this last year,” said Mike Grimmer, an environmental data analyst with Heal the Bay. “On wet weather days, you want to stay out of the water for at least three days.

June Casagrande The Surfrider Foundation has found a way to turn vice into virtue. People who come to Margaritaville on Saturday for the concoctions will get to take part in a second guilty pleasure: "Casino Night." It's more innocent than it seems. The players of the Vegas-style games will compete for donated prizes instead of cash. At the same time, they will be helping one of Newport-Mesa's favorite causes. "It's all to help benefit water quality in the area," said Ray Halowski , a Surfrider Foundation spokesman, who concocted the event with Margaritaville general manager Steve Pickford.

-- Susan McCormack NEWPORT BEACH -- A discussion to inform the community about improving water quality and preventing beach closures will take place on Nov. 3 at Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. A key focus of the event, which is sponsored by the Orange County Coast Assn., will be this summer's puzzling Huntington Beach closures. County officials now believe runoff may have caused the high levels of bacteria, which forced the closure of the beach for about two months.

NEWPORT BEACH — The Irvine Co. was responsible for monitoring urban runoff into a protected stretch of the Pacific north of Crystal Cove, until the Newport Beach City Council voted last week for the city to assume the responsibility. The change will cost the city $10,000 per year, but officials say it partly compensates the Irvine Co. for installing and maintaining a nearby public wastewater pump station. For decades, the Irvine Co. and local governments have been working out water quality protections between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.

The Mesa Consolidated Water District is warning its customers that more water backflow devices have been stolen. The items are expensive and maintain water quality, district officials said. The district is working with police, but residents can add deterrents like encasing valves in an enclosure or adding lighting and landscape around them. They can also add video surveillance or add security to monitor the device. For more information, contact the district's cross connection specialist, Pieter Pijl, at PietP@mesawater.org or call (949)

While on a walk around Newport Dunes recently, I was brought up short by the sight of a majestic bird perched on a post on Back Bay Drive. After a few minutes, it took wing, and as it flew overhead, I could see a fish clutched in its talons. I would soon learn that the bird I spotted was an osprey — likely the male partner of a pair that nests at the Back Bay Science Center. No doubt it was bringing a meal home to its chicks. That I was able to enjoy such a splendid sight is thanks to the staff at the science center, a gem of a facility where scientists and students study marine ecology and promote conservation.

Newport Beach's water quality during rainy weather improved dramatically at the city's beaches over the last year but continued to rate poorly along the bay, according to a report released by Heal the Bay. The recently released score card monitored water quality at beaches up and down the coast from April 2010 through March. In 2009-10, most of Newport's beaches received F grades during rainy weather. In 2010-11, almost all had A grades. Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said efforts to keep contaminants out of the ocean have made a difference.

COSTA MESA — On Tuesday, after voters have waded through the options for state, county and city offices, low down on the ballot they'll cast their choice for two division seats on the Mesa Consolidated Water District Board of Directors. The race includes incumbents Shawn Dewane, board president and Division 5 representative, and James Fisler, board vice president and Division 2 representative. Also running are tax professional Peter Meuter, former Costa Mesa Sanitary District Director Dan Worthington, and former Estancia High School teacher Art Perry.

These are difficult times. You don't need me to tell you that. There are issues and problems by the boatload to be dealt with right now, some more important than others. This week, the city of Newport Beach finally turned its attention to an issue that affects each and every one of us and is a true measure of what we stand for as a people and as a nation. Here is the question: Should dogs be banned on local beaches eight hours a day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round, or should the sand pooches get an extra 90 minutes, at least in the winter months?

Starting Tuesday, TV monitors will alert beachgoers how clean the surf, and more quickly than other methods. Flat-screen monitors placed at Newport Beach Dunes, Huntington State Beach, Doheny State Beach, will all begin receiving real-time water quality reports transmitted from the county health department. There are also monitors at Newport Pier and Big Corona State Beach. Part of an eight-week pilot program, the new water-testing methods are from a collaboration among the county's health care agency, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)

Newport Beach resident and political veteran Ed Reno announced Monday night that he is throwing his well-financed, well-connected hat into the ring for Councilman Don Webb’s seat in 2010. At a $100-per-ticket fundraiser reception at the Newport Beach office of Scott Baugh, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, Reno was surrounded by the likes of Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich, Mayor Pro Tem Keith Curry and an honored guest, former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, as he kicked off his campaign.

Judging from the report issued Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, it seemed like the best of times and the worst of times for Newport Beach. On one hand, the nonprofit’s report, which analyzed beaches around the country, cited 59 closures or advisories in 2008 at Newport’s beaches, mostly because of bacteria polluting the water. Some areas of Newport had higher bacteria levels than the county average, but those were mostly places, including Newport Harbor and the mouth of the Santa Ana River, that aren’t usually hot spots for swimmers.