SURFING SOAPBOX: Beaches laid to waste

It’s hard to imagine four miles of coastline being closed. In fact it’s darn sad that in this day and age we still have technological malfunctions that occur, resulting in raw sewage flowing down our streets and onto our beaches.

Accidents happen. Technology fails. Perhaps it doesn’t help to point fingers; however, I know from my own experience on the city’s environmental committee that there was a massive concern regarding the upgrading of the sewer system here in Laguna — and that was three years ago.

My question is, what has the city done in its efforts to upgrade the sewer system that one committee observer likened to a ticking time bomb? And I’m not saying the city hasn’t done anything or that it doesn’t care.

I just know the facts.

This is the second major spill our town has experienced in a little more than six months within blocks of each other. Certainly they must be related. The first spill closed Coast Highway for nearly three days. The second spill has closed miles of coastline.

At what point does an alarm go off within our city — that we may have a serious problem with the decaying infrastructure of our sewer system?

It’s been talked about for years, this decaying sewer system, and I know there’s no easy scenario in getting down in there and fixing it.

But how much more time will pass before something is truly done about it?

How many more major spills will happen?

Being the beach-loving town that we are — and a town that has a stretch of coastline as beautiful as any coastline in the world — it’s a crime if we let this continue. I walked the beaches with my girlfriend last night during sunset. It felt like we were walking through a graveyard with all of the bright yellow contaminated water signs, reflecting in the sunset light like tombstones in a cemetery.

What a waste — pun intended.

Last year, our city was deemed to be a “beach buddy” because of its good water quality and tidy beaches.

This year we might just be called a “beach dummy.”

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. His websites include AlohaSchoolofSurfing and ECOWarrior Surf.com. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com