DON'T DRINK THE WATER
By John D. Bowler
AND THE REBUTTAL FROM THE CAPISTRANO BEACH
& THE FOLLOW-UP OF JOHN BOWLER
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A spill from the controversial Moulton Niguel Water District sent
a torrential Valentine to Dana Point, of 41,000 gallons of partially
treated, but not disinfected, sewage into the ocean at Doheny
and Salt Creek beaches on February 14.
The biggest spill was caused by a power failure at the Trabuco
Canyon Water District when 500,000 gallons of sewage ran into
Aliso Creek. Capistrano Beach Water District dribbled only 45,000
gallons of sewage into the Pacific on Valentine's Day.
Further, we have water, water, everywhere, but nary a drop to
drink! Media reports going back to 1983 reveal an overabundance
of cancer-causing agents in our drinking water. This may account
for the ever-increasing epidemic of cancer treatment demands at
our local hospitals. Now that (the City of) Dana Point has pushed
for the merger of sewer and water supply (under city control),
there is no telling what may fly out of your faucet.
Dana Point has much bigger water problems than have been reported.
All the development since incorporation, for years, has caused
the already over-burdened water infrastructure to become a disaster
of contamination. Anyone familiar with operating a business on
Coast Highway knows the sewer pipes are so old that tree roots
have grown right through them, causing back-ups and acute underground
seepage all the way down into the marina.
The bluffs and marina are continually increased with contamination
caused by the heavy flush of visitor-serving hotels and business.
A health and safety moratorium on all new development is needed
so these conditions can be responsibly evaluated and repaired.
Until then, like the guy who fell into his own cesspool was found
screaming, "Don't make a wave," or better yet, just
don't go near the water!
REBUTTAL FROM THE CAPISTRANO BEACH WATER DISTRICTBy Dennis McLainManager, CBWD |
Even though the amount was only a tenth of that quoted in Mr. Bowler's letter,
the District responded quickly to the incident. Within 15 minutes of the reported
incident, District personnel were on site. They quickly barricaded the spill area and
did what was possible to stop the manhole causing the spill from overflowing. This all
occurred during one of the heaviest local rainstorms in recent years.
Because the District has not responded to incorrect allegations in the past, much
misinformation has circulated about the District. The District's water and sewer systems
have been designed, built and are operated according to the best engineering standards.
Even so, mishaps occur. The District has a dedicated, highly trained staff that quickly responds
to such mishaps. Often in as little as 10 minutes. In fact, the District's response
times are much quicker than any of the surrounding agencies or for that matter, most
other water and sewer agencies.
No excuses. We had a spill. We took it seriously. We reacted quickly. The public was
protected and we are investigating to make sure the facility was properly designed and maintained.
We will continue working hard for you.
Dennis McLain
Manager, Capistrano Beach Water District
DANA POINT ON-LINE EDITOR: We respect the fact that the District manager accepts responsibility for the spill. But the fact that news about the spill had to come from an unofficial source bothers us. Why didn't the District disclose the spill, so that the public was informed of what was going on? |
Follow-up |
In attacking my letter of concerns regarding recent reports of sewage spills that have
again contaminated our beaches, Capistrano Beach Water District manager Dennis McLain made
a "we're just a little bit pregnant," ten percent admission of responsibility for the
Valentine's Day sewage spill massacre of our local Pacific Ocean. This politically correct retort gurgles on about "the district's response times are much quicker than any of the other surrounding agencies or for that matter, most other water and sewer agencies." Hey, that's an advertisement made for TV, "We spill your sewage but, we pull you out quicker!" It appears none of the culprit local water district(s) that reportedly spilled almost 600 thousand gallons of sewage into our local beaches on Valentine's Day, came forward to warn us of this pollution danger. It was only through the "best" local daily newspaper reporters digging and the Orange County Environmental Health officials that seemed to cause awareness of this disaster. It's as if all the managers of these local water district agencies turned their lights out and hid under their desks. In most recent years, we have seen reports of the Grand Jury investigations, the deliberate illegal dumping, lawsuits, padded expense accounts, and continued devastating pollution to our beaches by the same agencies charged with the responsibility for our water and sewer health and safety. Its fiascos like these that inspire me to want the whole system overhauled and all the current water district managers and board members thrown out on their ears. This should be a consideration for the new Super Agency. Now we get bureaucratic blarney such as "we are investigating to make sure the facility was properly designed and maintained."
Gee, don't you already know if the facility was properly designed and maintained? That
spin alone floats among the other reported 40,500 gallons of sewage spill attributed
to the Capistrano Beach Water District that manager McLain fails to admit! I stand by
my sources... away up on the "High Ground!"
Mr. John D. Bowler |
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