DOHENY STATE BEACH RE-OPENS

DANA POINT-- After a six month closure due to storm-caused sewage leaking out of San Juan Creek, the northern section of Doheny State Beach has been re-opened. "Sometime in the last part of June, the state went and re-aligned the creekmouth," said Larry Honeybourne, the program chief of the Orange County Health Care Agency's water quality section. "So the North beach area is getting better flushing." The section originally closed on 6 Dec., 1997, after the first large El Nino storms. There is, however, one warning for beachgoers.

"The only thing is we tell people not to go wading in the creek," Honeybourne said. The coliform levels are still high in North beach and San Juan Creek, he said. He recommends avoiding the area directly in front of the mouths of the creeks and keeping to about 25 yards on either side. Matt Steinke, an aide at Doheny State Beach, said the reopening hasn't had visitors flocking back to the area in the past month. "There's been a slight increase in the number of surfcamps," Steinke said. "Those have been going on for about two to three weeks."

These camps include the Swell Time Surf Camp, Pirates Cove Beach Camp and a few Bible camps sponsored by local churches. For information on the beach or on these camps call Doheny State Beach at (949) 496-6172.


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