The End
from the www.surfrider.org website
"Polluted Runoff Status:
(last updated on 10/18/2004 7:00 AM)
Runoff Warning: there has been heavy rain (more than three-tenths of an inch) in the coastal watershed within the past 3 days, so there are high amounts of polluted runoff in beach waters countywide. There is also an elevated risk of sewage entering coastal waters. Contact with beach water is not recommended until after 72 hours after the end of the last rain event."
After 116 days, it looks like the streak is over.
On Saturday night in early October, the first raindrops of the autumn season fell from their clouds and struck my daughter's window. From there, the slid down to the window sill and drained down the back wall of our townhouse to the concrete patio below. From the concrete patio, the water moved outward, picking up dirt and oil as it moved over more concrete and asphalt to the street, where it merged with the water from other houses patios and driveways. The storm drain water ran down the street to a low point, through a trench drain and into the storm drainage utility pipes below the ground. From my house, the water doesn't have far to travel. It discharges into the Santa Ana river less than a half mile away. Eight miles later, the Santa Ana river discharges into the storm water, and all the dirt and oil it has picked up, into the Pacific Ocean.
I surfed on 10/17 and 10/18 (days 115 and 116) even after Saturday night's rain. Surfing on those two days was a mistake. On Saturday night, our house in Anaheim got rain from the early morning hours until about 5:30 am. I drove to the beach in the rain, but thought that I would take a look. The rain cleared and the sky looked promising. I paddled out. There was me and two other surfers, kids on funboards. I caught my three waves in the storm chop and got out. On my way out, it started to rain again. I passed by a big gulch in the sand where the storm water had carved a four foot deep canyon on its way into the ocean.
Sunday passed with no further rain incident, and I couldn't figure out if Saturday had been too much rain or not. Surfrider had not yet posted the above warning. I packed the board and went to Newport. There was another guy in the water already. On shore, there were piles of drift wood chips and trash. The line of boats was still there. I swam in quickly, caught three fast waves, and got out - all inside of fifteen minutes.
If so much as a drop falls from the sky today, I'm not going surfing tomorrow.
The paper is predicting more rain today, and the sky is looking like it agrees. From the window in my office, It looks like the streak is over.
More Later.
-Travis
copyright 2004 Travis R. English
"Polluted Runoff Status:
(last updated on 10/18/2004 7:00 AM)
Runoff Warning: there has been heavy rain (more than three-tenths of an inch) in the coastal watershed within the past 3 days, so there are high amounts of polluted runoff in beach waters countywide. There is also an elevated risk of sewage entering coastal waters. Contact with beach water is not recommended until after 72 hours after the end of the last rain event."
After 116 days, it looks like the streak is over.
On Saturday night in early October, the first raindrops of the autumn season fell from their clouds and struck my daughter's window. From there, the slid down to the window sill and drained down the back wall of our townhouse to the concrete patio below. From the concrete patio, the water moved outward, picking up dirt and oil as it moved over more concrete and asphalt to the street, where it merged with the water from other houses patios and driveways. The storm drain water ran down the street to a low point, through a trench drain and into the storm drainage utility pipes below the ground. From my house, the water doesn't have far to travel. It discharges into the Santa Ana river less than a half mile away. Eight miles later, the Santa Ana river discharges into the storm water, and all the dirt and oil it has picked up, into the Pacific Ocean.
I surfed on 10/17 and 10/18 (days 115 and 116) even after Saturday night's rain. Surfing on those two days was a mistake. On Saturday night, our house in Anaheim got rain from the early morning hours until about 5:30 am. I drove to the beach in the rain, but thought that I would take a look. The rain cleared and the sky looked promising. I paddled out. There was me and two other surfers, kids on funboards. I caught my three waves in the storm chop and got out. On my way out, it started to rain again. I passed by a big gulch in the sand where the storm water had carved a four foot deep canyon on its way into the ocean.
Sunday passed with no further rain incident, and I couldn't figure out if Saturday had been too much rain or not. Surfrider had not yet posted the above warning. I packed the board and went to Newport. There was another guy in the water already. On shore, there were piles of drift wood chips and trash. The line of boats was still there. I swam in quickly, caught three fast waves, and got out - all inside of fifteen minutes.
If so much as a drop falls from the sky today, I'm not going surfing tomorrow.
The paper is predicting more rain today, and the sky is looking like it agrees. From the window in my office, It looks like the streak is over.
More Later.
-Travis
copyright 2004 Travis R. English
posted by travinator @ 8:28 AM
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