Fellow Swaylocksaddictos: We in San Diego present you with our Christmas present to the Surfing community. Rory SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE 19.12.01 By Terry Rodgers Staff Writer U.S. settles suit, will pay $2 million for ocean sewage studies at border San Diego- Ocean pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border from inadequately treated sewage will receive more scientific study as a result of a legal settlement submitted yesterday to a federal magistrate in San Diego. The federal government will pay for $2 million worth of monitoring and analysis under the agreement reached between the Surfrider Foundation and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission. “This settlement resolves almost two years of litigation,” said Randall Humm, a Department of Justice attorney. “It will improve knowledge about the marine environment and help decision makers make better decisions involving environmental protection.” The settlement, which is expected to be approved by Magistrate Judge James Stiven, concludes a lawsuit Surfrider filed in November 1999 to force the commission to upgrade its sewage treatment at a plant near the border. “The studies the government will now do as part of this settlement are what they should have done in the first place,” said Rory Wicks, a Surfrider Foundation attorney. “Two hundred million dollars has been spent (on sewage facilities) and the beaches are still closed.” The commission’s plant, which treats sewage from Mexico, has been in constant violation of its state permit and the federal Clean Water Act since the South Bay ocean outfall pipe became operational in January 1999. The outfall discharges treated sewage, or effluent, approximately 31/2 miles offshore of Imperial Beach. The problem is that the effluent doesn’t meet state or federal standards and contains contaminants that could harm humans and marine life. “In building the border sewage plant and the South Bay outfall, the federal government assumed the source of bacteria was the Tijuana River,” Wicks said. “Then they were surprised when the beaches continued to be closed from high bacteria after the outfall came on line.” Surfrider sued to force the government to upgrade to secondary treatment and to have independent ocean monitoring to ensure the effluent isn’t harming kelp beds or reaching South Bay beaches. Under the settlement, only the latter is required. However, the state recently filed its own lawsuit to compel the federal government to upgrade to secondary treatment, a process that removes more bacteria and solids than the current primary treatment level. “The settlement doesn’t directly affect our case and we will be pursuing our action” to establish a deadline for the commission to upgrade to secondary treatment, said Sandra Michioku, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office. Beaches in Imperial Beach were closed 39 days in 2000 due to high bacteria contamination. Experts believe the bacteria is coming primarily from the Tijuana River, but environmentalists suspect that ocean currents could be pushing contamination ashore from either the U.S. outfall or Mexican sewage discharged at the shoreline at Punta Banderas just south of the border. “We certainly welcome any additional information that will give us a better picture of what’s happening,” said Mayda Winter, an Imperial Beach City Councilwoman.
Fellow Swaylocksaddictos:>>> We in San Diego present you with our Christmas present to the Surfing > community.>>> Rory>>> SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE 19.12.01 By Terry Rodgers Staff Writer U.S. > settles suit, will pay $2 million for ocean sewage studies at border>>> San Diego- Ocean pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border from inadequately > treated sewage will receive more scientific study as a result of a legal > settlement submitted yesterday to a federal magistrate in San Diego.>>> The federal government will pay for $2 million worth of monitoring and > analysis under the agreement reached between the Surfrider Foundation and > the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission.>>> “This settlement resolves almost two years of litigation,” said > Randall Humm, a Department of Justice attorney. “It will improve > knowledge about the marine environment and help decision makers make > better decisions involving environmental protection.”>>> The settlement, which is expected to be approved by Magistrate Judge James > Stiven, concludes a lawsuit Surfrider filed in November 1999 to force the > commission to upgrade its sewage treatment at a plant near the border.>>> “The studies the government will now do as part of this settlement > are what they should have done in the first place,” said Rory Wicks, > a Surfrider Foundation attorney. “Two hundred million dollars has > been spent (on sewage facilities) and the beaches are still closed.”>>> The commission’s plant, which treats sewage from Mexico, has been in > constant violation of its state permit and the federal Clean Water Act > since the South Bay ocean outfall pipe became operational in January 1999.>>> The outfall discharges treated sewage, or effluent, approximately 31/2 > miles offshore of Imperial Beach. The problem is that the effluent doesn’t > meet state or federal standards and contains contaminants that could harm > humans and marine life.>>> “In building the border sewage plant and the South Bay outfall, the > federal government assumed the source of bacteria was the Tijuana > River,” Wicks said. “Then they were surprised when the beaches > continued to be closed from high bacteria after the outfall came on > line.”>>> Surfrider sued to force the government to upgrade to secondary treatment > and to have independent ocean monitoring to ensure the effluent isn’t > harming kelp beds or reaching South Bay beaches.>>> Under the settlement, only the latter is required. However, the state > recently filed its own lawsuit to compel the federal government to upgrade > to secondary treatment, a process that removes more bacteria and solids > than the current primary treatment level.>>> “The settlement doesn’t directly affect our case and we will be > pursuing our action” to establish a deadline for the commission to > upgrade to secondary treatment, said Sandra Michioku, spokeswoman for the > state Attorney General’s Office.>>> Beaches in Imperial Beach were closed 39 days in 2000 due to high bacteria > contamination. Experts believe the bacteria is coming primarily from the > Tijuana River, but environmentalists suspect that ocean currents could be > pushing contamination ashore from either the U.S. outfall or Mexican > sewage discharged at the shoreline at Punta Banderas just south of the > border.>>> “We certainly welcome any additional information that will give us a > better picture of what’s happening,” said Mayda Winter, an Imperial > Beach City Councilwoman. …I can tell you what we use to fish for,and catch in the 60s,and 70s…They’re no longer exsist.Herb.
Yup Herb, My dad and I used to get abs at minus tide at sunset cliffs just wading then after a few years we would have to skindive and a mile walk to get abs . Then came a time we couldn’t even get our abs skindiving there all gone. I take it your into fishing like me. In the summer I take the board and the pole if it’s flat I just paddle out to the kelpbeds with my longboard and it’s still wide open calicos and white sea bass. The only gnarly thing is I’m out there a quarter mile board fishing and this boat drifts by with these buoys out. I’m like “hey what s up with those buoys you have divers down there”. “Oh no were fishing for Thresher sharks”. Yikes that’s all I need these two yahoos to piss off some thresher shark with my feet hanging in the water. There is a board fishing contest every summer in La Jolla it’s a kick ass time you should do it next year. Good fun bruddah. Hook up!!! Just to keep it on topic I use a 9’6" by 22 wide by 2 3/4 thick longboard with 2+1 setup and a cutaway fin for board fishing. I mount a milk crate with marine suction cups to keep it on the nose and outfit it with a three pole rod rack.
Yup Herb, My dad and I used to get abs at minus tide at sunset cliffs just > wading then after a few years we would have to skindive and a mile walk to > get abs . Then came a time we couldn’t even get our abs skindiving there > all gone. I take it your into fishing like me. In the summer I take the > board and the pole if it’s flat I just paddle out to the kelpbeds with my > longboard and it’s still wide open calicos and white sea bass. The only > gnarly thing is I’m out there a quarter mile board fishing and this boat > drifts by with these buoys out. I’m like “hey what s up with those > buoys you have divers down there”. “Oh no were fishing for > Thresher sharks”. Yikes that’s all I need these two yahoos to piss > off some thresher shark with my feet hanging in the water. There is a > board fishing contest every summer in La Jolla it’s a kick ass time you > should do it next year. Good fun bruddah. Hook up!!! Just to keep it on > topic I use a 9’6" by 22 wide by 2 3/4 thick longboard with 2+1 setup > and a cutaway fin for board fishing. I mount a milk crate with marine > suction cups to keep it on the nose and outfit it with a three pole rod > rack. I don’t know of many board fisherpersons here on the mainland, with the exception of Ray Mayo (L.A. City Fire).I am building a new longboard to accomadate fishing.I use a bucket rig with holes around the top for live bait,and a small krate with pole holders,and a 2.0lbs. folding spike anchor.Sometimes I just take some lures and a rod with me. I would like to enter the board fishing contest,it sounds like a gas!Herb.
You said it bruddah. When I moved to San Diego County in the late '70’s not only did I set out to learn every thing I could about the coastline from Ralph’s to Camp Pendleton, I also made a point of getting plugged into the fishing. Sunset Cliffs still had abs to be had, you had to work for them but they were there. Crabs, eels and lots of fish. It didn’t take to many seasons to figure out something was amiss, eel grass thinned out, abs were gone and there was a lot less sea life out there. I hope something good comes out of the money they spend on this project. TS>>> Yup Herb, My dad and I used to get abs at minus tide at sunset cliffs just > wading then after a few years we would have to skindive and a mile walk to > get abs . Then came a time we couldn’t even get our abs skindiving there > all gone. I take it your into fishing like me. In the summer I take the > board and the pole if it’s flat I just paddle out to the kelpbeds with my > longboard and it’s still wide open calicos and white sea bass. The only > gnarly thing is I’m out there a quarter mile board fishing and this boat > drifts by with these buoys out. I’m like “hey what s up with those > buoys you have divers down there”. “Oh no were fishing for > Thresher sharks”. Yikes that’s all I need these two yahoos to piss > off some thresher shark with my feet hanging in the water. There is a > board fishing contest every summer in La Jolla it’s a kick ass time you > should do it next year. Good fun bruddah. Hook up!!! Just to keep it on > topic I use a 9’6" by 22 wide by 2 3/4 thick longboard with 2+1 setup > and a cutaway fin for board fishing. I mount a milk crate with marine > suction cups to keep it on the nose and outfit it with a three pole rod > rack.
I don’t know of many board fisherpersons here on the mainland, with the > exception of Ray Mayo (L.A. City Fire).I am building a new longboard to > accomadate fishing.I use a bucket rig with holes around the top for live > bait,and a small krate with pole holders,and a 2.0lbs. folding spike > anchor.Sometimes I just take some lures and a rod with me.>>> I would like to enter the board fishing contest,it sounds like a gas!Herb. Herb this will help you get psyched for next summer. The contest has it’s own web site ( boardfishing.com) Note the screen will first appear blank scroll down to see web page .