Donna Frye in the News

BY LEWIS CARPENTER
Beach & Bay Press

The Tourmaline dry-weather storm drain diversion project, designed to prevent low-flow pollution from reaching the beach and ocean, has faced some obstacles since it was installed more than four months ago, according to a May 6 coastal storm drain testing report from the city.

The report states that neither flow rates nor pollutants (fecal and coliform) have been diverted from Tourmaline. The city has closed Tourmaline to swimming and recreation due to unsafe levels of bacteria for about 10 total days since the diversion system was installed. "The city's own monitoring records show that polluted runoff reaches the bottom of the culvert on a regular basis, often with bacterial levels exceeding what is safe for human contact," said Donna Frye, founder of Surfers Tired Of Pollution (STOP).

"We believed our city officials when in January they told us the problem of polluted runoff and sewage spills would be solved by February," Frye said at a May I Tourmaline press conference. "We were promised that the sewage blowing into our storm drains would no longer be reaching the beach ... as you can see by today, we have another sewage spill, it's reaching the beach and it's flowing at about five gallons per minute (gpm)."

The low-flow diversion project was designed to handle 25 to 30 gpm, according to city engineers. Installing diversion systems at Tourmaline and future sites at Bonair, south of Vista de Playa, Ravina, Coast Boulevard, Avenida de la Playa and Vallecitos, will cost an estimated $556,500, according to a Jan. 7 press statement by District 2 City Councilman Byron Wear.

Frye stated there were a lot of surfers and beachgoers at Tourmaline during the ground breaking on Jan. 8 to start this diversion project. "At that time, we were told by the deputy mayor have unrelentingly pursued this issue and I am pleased to declare that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel or pipe and it doesn't empty on to the beach," she said. "Well, all you have to do is come down here and take and look for yourself -- it is clearly emptying right onto the beach."

It appears that the primary function of the Tourmaline storm-drain diversion is to divert public attention away from the fact that the pollution, in the form of runoff and sewage, is still emptying onto our beaches, Frye said.

"The city officials have failed to provide a watershed management plan or pollution prevention plan," she added. "Once again we urge Byron Wear and Harry Mathis to keep their promise and clean up the pollution."

According to Wear, the system is up and running as it has been designed. "We are moving forward and we are committed," Wear said. "Councilman Mathis and I are absolutely committed 180 percent to the completion of this system and getting our council colleagues to allocate the additional dollars for the second and third phase,.

"We are also putting together a maintenance schedule. The bottom line is that during El Niño it didn't make any sense to turn this system on because we would be out there every other day. My goal was to have this thing functioning by Memorial Day."

Since May 1 the Tourmaline storm-drain diversion has been operational, according the city's engineering department. However, high levels of silt accumulate at this drain and therefore impede the operation of the system.

"It is working but it clogs with silt," said Karen Henry, senior civil engineer. "The diversion works as long it's not clogged. There are two things that can clog it, one is silt and the other is trash. ... Everyone wants it to work. When the silt comes down the channel it clogs the opening and it doesn't work.

"We will eventually put in a permanent silt trap because it wasn't anticipated that we would have this much silt. And now that we do, we need to address it. We can get through the summer months we believe with the this interim measure (sand bags) and we can decide where we want this trap to be." No date has been set to install a permanent trap.

Lisa Donahue contributed to this article.


	Press Article California Coast & Ocean Autum 2000 - vol 16, #3 Tourmaline Runoff Diversion Project Clogged With Concern BY LEWIS CARPENTER Beach & Bay Press The Tourmaline dry-weather storm drain diversion project, designed to prevent low-flow pollution from reaching the beach and ocean, has faced some obstacles since it was installed more than four months ago, according to a May 6 coastal storm drain testing report from the city. The report states that neither flow rates nor pollutants (fecal and coliform) have been diverted from Tourmaline. The city has closed Tourmaline to swimming and recreation due to unsafe levels of bacteria for about 10 total days since the diversion system was installed. "The city's own monitoring records show that polluted runoff reaches the bottom of the culvert on a regular basis, often with bacterial levels exceeding what is safe for human contact," said Donna Frye, founder of Surfers Tired Of Pollution (STOP). "We believed our city officials when in January they told us the problem of polluted runoff and sewage spills would be solved by February," Frye said at a May I Tourmaline press conference. "We were promised that the sewage blowing into our storm drains would no longer be reaching the beach ... as you can see by today, we have another sewage spill, it's reaching the beach and it's flowing at about five gallons per minute (gpm)." The low-flow diversion project was designed to handle 25 to 30 gpm, according to city engineers. Installing diversion systems at Tourmaline and future sites at Bonair, south of Vista de Playa, Ravina, Coast Boulevard, Avenida de la Playa and Vallecitos, will cost an estimated $556,500, according to a Jan. 7 press statement by District 2 City Councilman Byron Wear. Frye stated there were a lot of surfers and beachgoers at Tourmaline during the ground breaking on Jan. 8 to start this diversion project. "At that time, we were told by the deputy mayor have unrelentingly pursued this issue and I am pleased to declare that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel or pipe and it doesn't empty on to the beach," she said. "Well, all you have to do is come down here and take and look for yourself -- it is clearly emptying right onto the beach." It appears that the primary function of the Tourmaline storm-drain diversion is to divert public attention away from the fact that the pollution, in the form of runoff and sewage, is still emptying onto our beaches, Frye said. "The city officials have failed to provide a watershed management plan or pollution prevention plan," she added. "Once again we urge Byron Wear and Harry Mathis to keep their promise and clean up the pollution." According to Wear, the system is up and running as it has been designed. "We are moving forward and we are committed," Wear said. "Councilman Mathis and I are absolutely committed 180 percent to the completion of this system and getting our council colleagues to allocate the additional dollars for the second and third phase,. "We are also putting together a maintenance schedule. The bottom line is that during El Niño it didn't make any sense to turn this system on because we would be out there every other day. My goal was to have this thing functioning by Memorial Day." Since May 1 the Tourmaline storm-drain diversion has been operational, according the city's engineering department. However, high levels of silt accumulate at this drain and therefore impede the operation of the system. "It is working but it clogs with silt," said Karen Henry, senior civil engineer. "The diversion works as long it's not clogged. There are two things that can clog it, one is silt and the other is trash. ... Everyone wants it to work. When the silt comes down the channel it clogs the opening and it doesn't work. "We will eventually put in a permanent silt trap because it wasn't anticipated that we would have this much silt. And now that we do, we need to address it. We can get through the summer months we believe with the this interim measure (sand bags) and we can decide where we want this trap to be." No date has been set to install a permanent trap. *Lisa Donahue contributed to this article.*

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