Don’t Renew Sewage Treatment Waiver

Re “Grand Jury Is Praised for Sewage-Study Action,” letters, May 5

The Times is to be commended for its strong opposition to the renewal of Orange County Sanitation District’s 301 (h) sewage treatment waiver.

The excellent letter by Jan Vandersloot highlights the devastating result of the unconscionable actions (and inactions) of the OCSD, which has neglected its duty to protect the environment.

The public can no longer afford to excuse environmental pollution for the sake of short-term financial benefit. Full secondary treatment, although not accomplishing complete disinfection of sewage, is a step toward the restoration of the offshore marine environment and safe, clean beaches for the citizens of Southern California. Amigos de Bolsa Chica strongly opposes the renewal of the 301(h) treatment waiver.

Linda Sapiro Moon

President,

Amigos de Bolsa Chica

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I’m distressed that the Orange County Sanitation district is still holding onto the 301(h) waiver. More and more people have been attending OCSD board meetings since learning about this mess. Recently, the public comments have been taking up so much time that General Manager Blake Anderson wants to allow only 30 minutes of comment before the meeting begins, and then make everyone else wait and speak at the end of the meeting.

If public opinion in this waiver issue is a factor, Anderson should have a higher regard for public input. If 25 or 50 or 100 people are showing up to these meetings and demanding that the waiver not be renewed, then maybe it’s time to get rid of the waiver, not the public comments!

Curtis Zavodny

Surfrider Foundation

Huntington Beach

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Re “Beach Closure Is Reminder of 1999 Problems,” May 2

As a founding member of the Orange County Ocean Outfall Group, a citizens advisory committee, I have studied the issue enough to know that it’s time to wake up and smell the sewage. In your recent article, a spokeswoman for the county’s environmental health division makes silly statements like, “We still don’t understand what’s going on,” and “It’s like an onion, we’re gradually peeling the layers away.” It’s like an onion all right; it stinks to high heaven.

Orange County operates under a 301(h) waiver that allows it to dump dirtier sewage than 99.75% of the country’s sewage districts. The grand jury has told us that had a publicly funded 1997 study been made public, the sewage district probably wouldn’t have won its waiver. With ongoing public protests outside the sewage plant in Fountain Valley and a well-choreographed “city-by-city” campaign by the environmental community, all we can say is: Do us a favor, get RID of the waiver.

Joey Racano

Huntington Beach