Health warnings decrease around Dunes

June Casagrande

Water quality at Newport Dunes has shown marked improvement over

the last few years, partially because of a program to divert storm

water runoff into sewer systems.

Five times so far this year, Dunes-area waters have had levels of

bacteria that were too high, a huge drop from the 16 days of unsafe

water in 2001 and the 23 days in 2000.

Water quality experts attribute the decrease in part to a system

that now diverts storm drain runoff that used to run into the Dunes

waters into the sewer system instead.

“What’s happened at the Dunes is there was a storm drain at the

northeast side where the pedestrian bridge is. They made a diversion

so that the urban runoff was diverted into the sewer system,” said

Monica Mazur, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The agency tests waters in four different spots at the Newport

Dunes Waterfront Resort every week.

In March 2001, the city installed equipment to divert the runoff

into the sewer system by closing the storm drain that emptied into

the water at the Dunes. That diversion was only used part of the time

in 2001, but was fully operational by 2002, accounting for

increasingly low bacteria levels at the Dunes.

Contamination levels at the Dunes have also been limited to

smaller areas this year. In other years, effects were much more

likely to be widespread on bad-water days.

For example, on Nov. 8, 2000, four different areas of the Dunes

were posted for contamination: Newport Dunes north, east, middle and

west areas.

This year’s five postings applied to only one site each: four

times on the north side, once on the east side.

“I think we’re doing well,” said Councilman Steve Bromberg, who is

on the city’s water quality committee, which directs many water

quality projects. “But at some point, we need to get these postings

down to zero.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].