You may think that all the cement being poured in North County has no effect on ocean quality. I invite you to think again. All of these “improvements” in housing, shopping and transportation come with side effects, one of the least apparent being water pollution.
With less porous ground and vegetation to soak up rainwater after each storm, our gutters become rivers headed toward the sea. While a little fresh water is no big deal, by the time these rivers hit our beaches they are a toxic mix of pet feces, chemical fertilizer, cigarette butts, insecticides and whatever else is originally intended for your lawns.
So, before you hose off your driveway, please consider that you are unnecessarily robbing the Colorado River and, in turn, Baja of a precious resource, but crapping in your own playground.
While there is no way to know how many ocean-goers have become violently ill from exposure to this toxic soup, I know of at least one surfer who died from such exposure. His name is David Villanueva.
I interviewed Villanueva years ago for a magazine I was writing for, and he told me that he had contracted a virus after surfing Malibu after the creek had flooded. He claims there were no signs posted, and the then 21-year-old surfer, with no major health concerns, began feeling ill.
When the illness eventually became severe, Villanueva was rushed to the hospital and given a heart transplant. This surgery led to a second heart transplant and eventually death before his 30th birthday.
Less dramatic than this story are the stories of the thousands of surfers who are treated for staph and other infections. One such friend of mine nearly lost a leg after surfing polluted water in Cardiff. I applaud the powers that be for assisting in filtering pollutants from our creaks and estuaries, but, as our population swells to previously unimaginable numbers, there is a lot more to be done.
To be fair, there has always been a certain amount of pollution in the ocean, and it was not all caused by humans. Since long before we built freeways and housing developments, the waste of land animals has been flushed out into the ocean after every major rain.
When you see signs posted at our beaches reading, “Keep Out,” or “Warning,” it is best to postpone your dip for another day. It is also advised to avoid contact with ocean and bay waters for at least three days after rainfall ends.
As a co-founder of the Green Marines, it is our hope to help inform the public and correct the mistakes we make when expanding our coastal cities. Stay tuned to this column for more information on Green Marine activities and how to join this organization.
