In search of polluting copper

Newport Beach has hired Orange County Coastkeeper to find out how

much copper and other heavy metals may be lingering in the waters

near Newport’s marinas -- work that could lead to restrictions on the

paint most boaters use. “We will definitely start sampling in

September,” Coastkeeper program director Ray Hiemstra said.

Coastkeeper is still designing plans to sample waters and sediments

around six to eight local marinas.

The city subcontracted the work to Coastkeeper after making a

deal with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to look

for copper and other heavy metals in the harbor, said assistant city

manager Dave Kiff. If the study leads regulators to conclude copper

levels around local marinas are too high, officials could decide to

restrict the copper paints used by most boaters.

The possibility that environmental officials will create new rules

affecting boaters troubles Mark Silvey, chairman of the Newport Beach

Chamber of Commerce’s marine committee. He was also displeased to

hear the city has selected Coastkeeper to conduct the study.

Silvey believes Coastkeeper erred in lobbying the water quality

board to require marinas to add more waste pump-out stations in an

effort to reduce pollution from boats. The board issued an order in

support of that proposal in 2003. Silvey believes the stations were

unnecessary, and he expects Coastkeeper to recommend policies he

would consider a burden to boaters.

“I see nothing good from Coastkeeper when they’re involved in

legislating against the boaters and the public,” Silvey said.

Hiemstra disagreed with the contention that Coastkeeper’s study may

have a bias against boaters. He said his group and environmental

regulators are simply concerned with any kind of pollution that may

affect local waters.

“We’re targeting the bay,” he said.

Most boat paints contain copper because the metal works as a

pesticide to kill barnacles, algae and other creatures mariners want

to keep off their hulls.

“Copper’s the main focus because copper boat paints leach copper

-- that’s what they’re designed to do,” said water quality board

environmental scientist Linda Candelaria.

In February, the San Diego Water Quality Control Board voted in

favor of a regulation intended to reduce copper levels around a San

Diego marina. The rule is still awaiting final approval by state and

federal authorities. Though the water boards cannot ban copper boat

paint, they can compel boaters and marina operators to reduce the

amount of copper that winds up in the ocean. In San Diego,

authorities have set a 17-year timeline to reduce copper levels.

Silvey thinks regulators are looking in the wrong direction to

find the source of copper that could be lurking in Newport Harbor. He

believes it is more likely that urban runoff carries copper into the

harbor from inland sources.

Candelaria said she did not want to guess what the water quality

board may do after the completion of the study. The work could take

about one year to complete.

“When the results are analyzed, that’s when we’ll go to the public

and say, ‘This is what we found,’” she said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at

[email protected].