Public can solve problems

Hello, Laguna Beach.

As you may or may not know, we have a newly formed environmental committee, to which our own Laguna Beach City Council appointed seven people.

I must say that being appointed to something like this is both a joy and an interesting experience in the world of politics, with our scope consisting of trying to sustain the purity not just of our town, but of its environment -- including air, water, land and town charm.

The opportunity to learn more is something that I embrace wholeheartedly. I accept the challenges that lie ahead for a committee like this, because every item on our agenda is an important one.

The difficult task is assigning a priority to each of the environmental concerns. Our committee is working to determine short-term and long-term goals and our vision of addressing the town’s environmental concerns. Next month, guest speakers will help us to do this.

Urban runoff and water quality, as one person pointed out, really is perhaps more of a water-quantity problem -- if we could find ways to reduce the amount of water we use on a daily basis, that would alleviate some of our runoff problems.

What I embrace most of all about being a participant on this committee is finding solutions to these problems. We can agree that we have identified most of our environmental concerns, and now it is time to find solutions.

As one of the harshest of critics of water quality issues in town, I find myself in the position of working with others who share the same concerns. The more we can hear the views of the public, the better off we are.

This isn’t a fight that can be won by identifying the causes and effects of pollution. The community must come together and state that it is time we do something about these problems that have been around for decades, if not longer.

Last night was a fantastic example of how important public input is. We had some great public speakers, many of whom brought items to our attention, such as the North Coast Highway interceptor sewer line, which pumps two and half million gallons a day. What if this main line fails? Is there a backup plan in place? Where would this sewage go -- into the streets? The ocean?

Other topics on our agenda included the hiring of another marine protection officer and marine safety officer; beach closure and pollutant-source monitoring; defining mansions; open-space inventory; notice of illegal grading; and one of my favorites -- an environmental recognition program which rewards excellence within the community.

We have been given this platform to be heard. It is now time that our community becomes the voice of environmental concern.

Peace.20051216iqe5k5kn(LA)