Project Profile: Protecting the Beaches at Dana Point

July 1, 2002

When tourism is a big part of a city’s revenue source, and that tourism derives largely from the city’s beaches, it’s crucial—both economically and environmentally—to keep those beaches clean. The City of Dana Point, CA, a gateway to the popular 62-ac. Doheny State Beach, faced such a challenge. Trash and other pollutants were not only threatening the beauty of the coastline but also leading to potential problems with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permitting.

Combination truck used for the cleaning of filters and storm-drain boxes

Installation of Flo-Gard storm-drain inlet filter

“They [Dana Point] saw the writing on the wall with NPDES permits,” says Stormwater Specialist Jeff Rager of Downstream Services. “Beach closures were threatened, and they didn’t want that. Dana Point knew they had to keep trash out of the inlet, so they stepped up street sweeping and erosion control and, in 2000, installed 150 Flo-Gard inserts at a cost of about $41,000.” Downstream Services installed the catch-basin inserts, which are made by KriStar Enterprises. “We decided KriStar’s product was the best one on the market right now. Other filters are not very durable and catch everything—you can’t separate the debris, and therefore everything they catch becomes a Class II waste.”

Made of durable geotextile fabric, Flo-Gard filter inserts are designed to collect silt, debris, and petroleum hydrocarbons. The filters are also easily replaced. The manufacturer suggests annual maintenance of three system inspections, two filter cleanings, and one filter change/disposal; Dana Point’s schedule, however, is more stringent.

“We implemented our own program and customize each to every site,” Rager explains. “In Dana Point, we perform four cleanings per year, with one change of filter. We placed 41 filters in Dana Harbor and maintain them twice a month because eucalyptus leaves collect in them. Usually there’s one filter per inlet; however, for larger drains, we’d use two filters instead of one big long one.”

The sediment and debris removed go to a landfill; the Class II wastes are combined with aluminum silicate, which absorbs oils, and then disposed in a special process.

Different filters are used in different areas of the city. “In areas where we’d expect to collect hydrocarbons, we’re using Fossil Filters,” relates Dana Point Senior Environmental Engineer Pat Felt. “Elsewhere, such as in residential areas, we’re using other filters. In 2001, the filters collected about 56 tons of debris. We also catch 468 tons of material with street sweepers per year, and we’re keeping it all out of the ocean.”

Debris collected from first cleaning

Debris collected from the maintenance of 30 Flo-Gard filters

Convinced of the product’s success, Dana Point has since installed an additional 100 Flo-Gard filters, and Downstream Services continues to service them. “We wash the [filter] socks out, do the cleaning of all these inlets,” states Rager. “Our company can perform this service at a better rate than Dana Point could by doing it “˜in-house.’ Some of what the filters collect is considered hazardous waste, and we are trained for that. We have all those certifications.”

Located in southern Orange County, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, Dana Point has a population of 35,000 in its 6.5 mi.2 Although most of its city-owned inlets now contain the filters, Dana Point is planning to filter privately owned drainage as well.

“Our goal is to get all the catch basins,” reports Felt. “There are 60-some homeowners associations in the city; we’re hoping to get agreement to filter private basins. We know we’re keeping stuff out of the sea. We’d like to eliminate even more debris.”

Even more filtering is in the works. “We’re resurfacing Golden Lantern, increasing it from six to seven lanes, and we’ll be installing filters,” continues Felt. “With storm drains and diversions, we’ll send runoff through a CDS [continuous deflective separation] separator, then send it to a sanitary sewer in the South Coast Water District. In two recently completed housing units, we’ve also installed detention basins and KriStar’s Fossil Filters.

“We continue to look at all options,” he says. “We’re looking into enzymes that will “˜eat’ cooking grease, to possibly introduce them into the system. Dana Point’s also doing studies on the design of North Creek MS4 [municipal separate storm sewer system], which drains the midportion of town down to the harbor. The drain often gets blocked off by the tide. The county now pumps this system into sanitary sewer. We’re looking at how that might be treated by UV or other filtering systems.”

Dana Point has also requested that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) consider installing filters along Pacific Coast Highway, which abuts the city. “Caltrans said we could submit a proposal; we’re still looking at it,” states Felt. “Maybe we’d secure the right of way so we would take care of it. We’re evaluating how much it all would cost, as that stretch is close to 3 miles long.”

Keeping Dana Point—area beaches clean and attractive is a primary concern: “Tourism is a big industry here,” points out Felt. “The city collects about $5 million in hotel taxes each year.”

But another need might be more crucial. “The Salt Creek runs through here, and it’s one of the two major watersheds in this part of the state. It must be protected,” Felt stresses.