Storms and Stormwater Run-off Foul the Ocean

Santa Monica Bay's most popular beaches were posted off-limits to surfers and swimmers because of untreated sewage that gushed from broken sewer lines during the storms.

An all-day conference has tallied progress since the last environmental health assessment in 1998 of the Santa Monica Bay, which extends from Palos Verdes Peninsula to Point Dume. Water quality has been improving, but runoff from storms still fouls the ocean. The evaluation of the bay's health comes as powerful storms left Southern California's beaches littered with debris and its coastal waters roiling and colored chocolate brown. However, the trend in recent years shows a steady decrease in the size and frequency of sewage spills. Some of the successes were attributed to the addition of a second level of sewage treatment at the Hyperion Treatment Plant in El Segundo in 1998 and the Los Angeles County Sanitation plant in Carson in 2002. As a result of those upgrades, the annual discharge of toxic heavy metals has decreased by 98 percent and solid waste by 93 percent. Most officials agree that the largest remaining problem is urban runoff. Nearly a third of the 414-square-mile watershed is urbanized and collects motor oil drippings, pet waste, fertilizers, tire and brake pad dust, along with tons of trash, which then gets swept from storm drains into the bay.