Sewage spill fouls Bird Rock beaches
Nearly 1,600 gallons of sewage spilled into the Pacific Ocean off Camino de la Costa near Bird Rock Friday, Feb. 29, contaminating the area’s water.
The city closed four area beach-access points, after concluding the spill was caused by paper towels and roots clogging a sewage main, said Heather Lade, public information officer with the City of San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department.
“The access points where we took samples and where we have posted signs are Cortez Place, Camino de la Costa, Bird Rock and Calmuet Court,” Lade said.
The beach access areas will be closed for swimming until city workers determine water levels are safe enough to enter.
City crews were called to the 5900 block of Camino de la Costa around 10 a.m. Friday. They quickly contained approximately 1,600 gallons of wastewater that had spilled from a sewer main behind a nearby home, Lade said.
“The warning signs will be removed when it’s safe for recreational use,” Lade said.
Until then, beachgoers are advised to look for caution signs, as city workers test bacteria levels daily. Lade said hazardous levels should dissipate shortly.
“It’s not a lot [of sewage],” she said. “The city reacted quickly.”

Seals reach end of rope?
A federal judge rejected the Animal Protection and Rescue League’s (APRL) appeal of a lower court’s decision to keep the city from placing a rope barrier at the Children’s Pool during the harbor seals’ pupping season.
APRL lost what will probably be its last court battle this year when a judge ruled the organization cannot lobby the city to install a rope barrier that would maintain a separation between humans and the seals and their pups that have made La Jolla’s Casa Beach their home.
The animal rights group fought for the rope to keep people from harassing seals, a federal violation that disturbs mothers and their young this time of year at the La Jolla beach.
During its annual budget meeting, Mary Glackin, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s deputy under secretary, said that although the rope barrier is not up during this year’s pupping season, NOAA is enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which cites people for harassing the seals or any other marine mammals.
“We are comfortable with the level of enforcement,” Glackin said. “The city could make an application to have them declared a nuisance and if they did, then we would grant that. They are under our authority.”
But until any further steps are taken, Glackin said NOAA has stepped up enforcement of the MMPA.
Meanwhile, divers and seal activists continue to clash over use of the beach and the welfare of the seals. Activists claim seals are harmed by divers entering the water, while divers claim the beach has become a polluted mess because of the seal colony.

Lawrence Family JCC pool to reopen
Officials with the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) say they are set to reopen the pool on March 10.
The Friedenberg Pool, which had been closed since last August, should be open in the next couple of weeks, said Christian Henry, aquatics director with the JCC La Jolla campus.
Along with the pool’s new surface, the JCC took the months to expand the children’s wading pool and the hot tub, Henry said.
“When the pool was closed in August, they refurbished it,” Henry said.
Meanwhile, two neighboring schools that use the JCC pool for their swim programs, La Jolla Country Day School and University City High School, can look forward to switching back to the new JCC pool from local substitution pools.
“Both have been using local pools ” the Cathedral [Catholic High School] pool and UCSD’s pool,” Henry said.
The public is welcome at the JCC pool, Henry said. Cost is $10 per visit for non-members. The aquatics program offers private and group lessons, along with other swim programs.
Different memberships are offered. For details, go to lsjcc.org. For updates on the pool, or to view photos, go to the Web site.
The JCC is located at 4126 Executive Drive.

LJHS alums host shopping event
La Jolla High School alumni Karen Appel and Jody Frank return to San Diego Sunday, March 9 for a shopping event at the Abbey, 2825 Fifth Ave. For $5 online or $10 at the door, shoppers are invited to browse clothing, jewelry, and accessories from more than 50 designers.
These trendy La Jolla grads of 1992 have been putting on shopping events in San Francisco for four years, but Sunday’s noon to 4 p.m. show will be their first in San Diego. Guests will receive beauty treatments and goodie bags and a portion of the door proceeds will go to Dress for Success.
For information and tickets, visit www.appelandfrank.com.

School vandals/thieves pursued by SDPD
Police are searching for thieves who broke into Muirlands Middle School Saturday, Feb. 16, stealing items worth about $20,000.
The San Diego Police Department sent a patrol car in response to the school’s alarm around 7 a.m., according to Principal Chris Hargrave. But because the department is spread too thin, the burglars had already made off with the goods, which included computers and walkie-talkies.
Detectives told the principal to tighten security measures on their follow-up investigation, she wrote in an e-mail. The police continue their investigation to find the people, who broke into several classrooms, Hargrave said.
Anyone with information is asked to call (888) 580-8477.