CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

From Drains to Filters, Corona del Mar to See New Water Quality Projects

Nearly $1.5 million in improvements to water quality off the coast of Corona del Mar could begin work in 2013, city staff said.

The projects include adding two Continuous Deflective Separation, or CDS, units in Begonia Park and nearby on Bayside Drive at Fernleaf Avenue, said Shane Burckle, the city’s water conservation coordinator. CDS underground units use a centrifuge that lets water flow but traps debris, including trash, leaves and sediment he said. Crews would remove the debris before and after storms, he said, as well as throughout the year. Another smaller CDS unit will be installed in the Pelican Point neighborhood.

Another project include adding a water flow monitor near the end of Lower Buck Gully. That flow monitor will allow water flow data to be collected and compared to 2006 levels, said John Kappeler, the city’s water quality manager.

In Shore Cliffs, plans call for installation of an “infiltration gallery” at the end of an esplanade off Shorecliff Road. That project will cost about $25,000 to $30,000 with construction anticipated to begin in April, Kappeler said. The gallery uses layers of gravel and sand to give runoff from streets a chance to absorb back into the ground rather than through an underground pipe that drains directly into the ocean.

And in Cameo Shores, a series of infiltration galleries will be installed at the end of each street at a cost of $350,000. That project should begin next summer.

The infiltration galleries, Kappeler and Burckle said, will reduce runoff into an area that has been designated as an Area of Special Biological Significance. The State Water Resources Control Board works with city agencies to make sure efforts are being made to limit runoff, they said.

They added that ongoing education efforts continue to be the most important way to try to limit runoff and pollution reaching the ocean.

“The human side could augment our mechanical side,” Kappeler said. “We put a lot of effort into public awareness.”

Burckle said he hoped that residents wouldn’t think of the filters and other systems as an excuse to litter, over irrigate or hose down their property.

“I don’t want anyone to think, ‘We have these infiltration systems and filters installed so I can wash down my driveway and yard debris into the gutter,” he said.

Kappeler said most runoff problems stem from overwatering landscapes, and he urged residents to decrease sprinkler runtimes, especially during the winter season, to reduce runoff.

“Turn off the hose and pick up your broom,” he said. “That would be huge.”