The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) has released the 2021-2022 Biennial Ocean, Harbor & Bay Water Quality Report. This year’s report captures that beach closures related to sewage spills are at a 35-year low.
The report provides a yearly analysis of water quality for Orange County’s recreational waters. The indicators used are intended to provide a closer look at the water quality to ensure it meets regulatory standards to protect public health.
In 2022, 85 sewer spills were reported to the HCA’s Water Quality Team by a variety of public agencies; that is significantly below the 30+ year average of 184 spills per year.
Often, spills are a result of private property spills, grease buildup, roots in the pipes, breaks, or other unknown reasons. At OC San, as your regional sewer provider and an ocean discharger, we go to great lengths to ensure our pipes are in excellent condition. Our regional pipelines are on a maintenance schedule to be inspected and cleaned regularly. And, we have an active Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) program to educate the public on the risks of dumping FOG down the drain. We also work closely with our member agencies to minimize their risk of a spill and share our best management practices.
As environmental stewards, protecting the environment and public health is not only our mission, it is our commitment to the public.
