Council choice the right one in pollution study

If all goes well and according to plan, by this fall we all may know

the source of pollutants that continue to plague Corona del Mar’s

Buck Gully and nearby creeks and beaches.

Last week, the Newport Beach City Council approved a $90,000

contract for a groundwater study to determine where the runoff in the

gully, as well as Morning Canyon and Pelican Point, is coming from.

That relatively minor expense could prove to be of major import if it

enables to city to halt or treat a flow of as much as 350 gallons of

polluted water a minute. At the end of that flow are the delicate

tide pools of Little Corona.

That city leaders would choose to pay for the study is no great

surprise, as their inclination to protect and clean the city’s water

seems pretty natural. After all, the city has 31 1/2 miles of

waterfront and a significant portion of money from tourist dollars --

whether via sales or hotel tax -- is obviously tied to the drawing

power of the beaches and harbor.

But though their decision may be no great surprise, that doesn’t

make it any less laudable. City leaders, as well as members of the

city staff, have for years now been on the leading edge of

governmental efforts to improve water quality, whether in the Santa

Ana River or off Crystal Cove. They’ve made at times unpopular

choices when deciding that tough rules, such as mandating grease

traps in restaurants, are needed to keep the harbor and beaches

clean.

They may need to make even more unpopular rulings if the source of

the Buck Gully runoff turns out to be the leading suspect: homeowners

watering their yards too much. Imagine the outcry if the solution to

polluted tide pools is tight restrictions on when and how much

watering is allowed.

But that is a battle for the future. For now, everyone who lives

or works in Newport Beach or, most of all, spends time on its beaches

and in its harbor, should await the findings of this study anxiously.

It promises to be another key to a cleaner tomorrow.