Laguna Beach High School’s award-winning ocean water testing program is floundering, after the Surfrider Foundation suddenly pulled the plug on funding.
The program, in which samples of ocean water are methodically collected and tested for bacteria every week, has been the main activity of the school’s Surfrider Club for eight years.
In 2006, the club was honored by the Environmental Protection Agency with an environmental achievement award for helping to promote water quality awareness.
Water quality reports from local beaches are posted on the Internet and published in local newspapers. The reports stopped being issued about six weeks ago.
The reports are unofficial, as opposed to testing conducted by the county Health Department, which is empowered to authorize beach closures or warnings when the bacteria count is too high.
Board votes to halt program
Last summer, the South Orange County Surfrider chapter organized a summer testing program in Laguna to replace the one at the high school.
But the chapter decided in December not to spend $25,000 to fund the water testing programs at several local schools, including Laguna Beach, said Rick Erkeneff, a chapter spokesman.
“Seven executive board members voted unanimously to halt the water testing,” he said. New guidelines for the clubs include activities like beach cleanups, recycling and recruitment, but no water testing. Since the foundation didn’t purchase the lab kits necessary for the water quality testing, the Laguna high school club ran out of materials weeks ago. The materials cost about $100 a month.
Club disappointed
Parent Kerry Rubel, who’s son, Mike, is co-chairman of the club this year, said her son is disappointed that the testing had to stop. Mike, 17, has been testing the water on local beaches for years.
“No reason was given,” Rubel said. “We were told there were no supplies and no funding.”
The club members put a lot of effort into the water program, meeting at 7 a.m. for the testing at the high school, which is conducted under the watch of Art Smart, a science teacher who is the club’s advisor.
Rubel said her son and the other co-chair of club, who has also been involved in the project for years, performed water testing for their Bar Mitvahs.
“They’ve been doing this since they were 11 or 12,” she said.
