Planned EPA Cuts Won't Affect Poche Cleanup, Officials Say

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed budget cuts may threaten the testing of water quality in California’s coastal cities, but officials say this won't affect efforts to clean up San Clemente’s Poche Beach—.

Poche Beach has an elaborate stormwater purification apparatus that hasn't worked because of bureaucratic restrictions,

In its budget request for the 2013 Fiscal Year, the EPA proposed eliminating $10 million in grant money given to state and local agencies to test for water quality and contamination. 

The EPA stated in a release, “The budget includes $50 million in savings by eliminating several EPA programs that have either completed their goals or can be implemented through other federal or state efforts.”

Environmental organizations such as Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation have spoken out against the proposed cuts, urging people to voice their opinions to the EPA.  Heal the Bay’s water quality director Kirsten James told the Los Angeles Times, “It feels like a double whammy to beachgoers. The EPA is on multiple levels telling them they are swimming at their own risk every time they go to the beach.

Of the $10 million grant money that is distributed, California currently receives $500,000 per year to fund coastal beach monitoring programs, appropriating $25,000 per coastal county, said Larry Honeybourne of the OC Health Department.

“The grants slated for elimination pay for local health and environmental protection agencies to conduct water quality tests and post warning signs or even close the beach when bacteria levels indicated water is too contaminated," the Times reports. "Swimming in polluted water exposes people to pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal illness, diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes and ear, eye and staph infections.”

Currently, the Orange County Water Quality Program’s Ocean Water Protection Program conducts quality monitoring of ocean waters, closing beaches and posting warning signs when waters do not meet quality standards. One hundred and forty water samples are taken weekly to test coastal water qualities.

Tom Bonigut, Assistant City Engineer of San Clemente, suggests that the proposed budget cuts may not affect San Clemente at all.

“If the proposed EPA budget cuts actually happen, it is very unlikely to impact the water quality testing along San Clemente’s shoreline,” Bonigut said in an email. “That’s because the OC Health Care Agency only tests one San Clemente location (at T-Street) … Most of the testing along San Clemente, including Poche, is tested by the South Orange County Waste Water Authority (SOCWA). This testing is not impacted by EPA funding (or lack thereof).”

However, the proposed budget cuts will still have an impact on Orange County’s water quality, “Since these budget cuts are still hypothetical, it’s hard to say how [the OC Health Department] will deal with it, but any loss of funding is a concern,” Honeybourne said. “Dealing with any budget cut is always a challenge.”

Although the EPA is pulling back state grant money, under the budget proposal their overall operating budget would increase from $3.57 billion in 2012, to $3.47 billion in 2013, reported Bloomberg BNA.  

"The budget proposal contains increased funding for priority programs, including a large increase for state and tribal air quality and water pollution programs,"  according to Bloomberg

If the EPA approves the cuts, changes wouldn’t take effect until October 1, 2012 and lasting through September 30, 2013.