Dirty and dirtier

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

I’ve just returned from an uphill bumpy yacht delivery to Ventura,

and upon my return I see two Daily Pilot’s headlines that read

“Newport creek one of O.C.’s dirtiest” and “Horse riders fight animal

waste rules.” Unfortunately, the stories were in two separate issues.

I think it would have made quite a statement if the articles were

printed side-by-side.

I am curious in the difference in thinking by some horse owners

that it is perfectly acceptable to leave horse manure on public

streets and walkways but that you should be fined if you do not pick

up after your dog.

Why am I mentioning horse manure in a harbor and boating column?

Simple: “What Starts at the Drain Feeds the Harbor When It Rains” is

the title of a video that I hosted a few years ago. That video was

shown at every elementary school in Orange County to teach the youth

how to protect our harbor.

Years later, the title says it all once again. I do not want to be

swimming in horse manure that has found its way down a storm drain.

Think about this: A 1,000-pound horse will deposit 45 pounds of

manure per day, or 5.61 gallons per day, or 0.75 cubic feet per day.

That totals 8.2 tons per year. Interesting, as I can remember many

committee meetings where we were concerned about the waste that sea

lions and sea gulls deposit in the harbor.

I have personally seen mounds of horse manure while walking with

my daughters along the Back Bay, and it is disgusting, especially in

an urban environment. More important is that those mounds eventually

end up into the Back Bay’s watershed. Animal waste is never to end up

in a harbor, lake or stream bed as defined by farming regulations

mandated to farms across the nation. If any waste is used as

fertilizer, then it is selectively used on those fields.

Los Trancos Creek was just labeled the dirtiest creek. I think the

wrong label dirty has an emotional affinity to dirt or fouled, like

horse manure floating in the creek. However, in this study cited, the

creek is contaminated with high levels of phosphates and nitrates.

Both of these compounds feed aquatic plant life and decrease the

sunlight and oxygen levels in the water that will kill aquatic

organisms like fish, shrimp, etc.

This is a textbook example of urban runoff pollution caused by

fertilizers (one can include manure), soaps and the multitude of

“stuff” that flushes down our storm drains. We do not live in a rural

environment where a manure mound here or there is negligible in the

1,000-acre woods. In a very populated area where you can not hose off

your “dirty” sidewalks into the storm drain, it all adds up.

Those who know me know that I am not a tree-hugger, but I do have

a problem with such blatant disregard for our No. 1 natural resource

-- Newport Harbor. There is no gray area on the solution to this

issue -- be responsible and pick up after your animal -- horse, dog,

elephant, whatever. I am confident that Newport Assistant City

Manager Dave Kiff will tackle this issue with the passion that he has

for our clean waterways, and Dave, you have my full support.

This Sunday, Chandler Bell will be racing in the Hot Rum Series

aboard the Abracadabra/USA 54, an America’s Cup Class boat that I

told you about in last week’s column. Chandler will call in to the

radio show and tell us about his adventures.

Also, Eric Hovland and I have a special in-studio guest: Capt.

John McCarty. He is the owner of Newport’s infamous tournament winner

Pacifica 44-foot sportfishing charter yacht named Fin Fever.

Remember to tune in every Sunday to my Boathouse Radio Show from 4

to 5 p.m. on KCBQ AM (1170) or listen over the Internet at

https://www. boathouseradio.com. Listeners can call (888) 344-1170 to

join in on Southern California’s only boating talk radio show, which

reaches ports up the coast from San Diego to Oxnard and out to Santa

Catalina Island.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to [email protected] or visit https://www. boathousetv.com.