Over the past few days, it’s been impossible to avoid seeing the telltale signs of wildfire ash and debris accumulating along the coastline of Santa Monica. At low tide in particular, endless thick lines of ash particles are easily visible against the golden sands that form our big, beautiful beaches.
On Friday, as sea level dropped to its lowest point at low tide, across the intertidal zone, vast swathes of black and burnt debris could be seen stretching to the horizon in every direction. And shockingly, despite being right next to the Pacific Ocean, the unique smell of soot and ash was overpowering.
The January wildfires generated 4.5 million tons of waste, or nearly half of the county's typical annual waste total of 11 million tons, according to the Los Angeles County Public Works.
Many items typically found in homes contain chemicals and materials that will produce toxic fumes and residuals when burnt. Televisions, laptops, solar panels and in fact just about anything electronic, batteries, cars and electric vehicles all contain components that are made from materials that present a contamination danger after being utterly incinerated. And then there’s the asbestos, which still exists in many houses built between 1930 and 1950.
As of Monday, Heal the Bay’s beach report card has general advisory cautions on just about every beach between Marina del Rey and Malibu and several sections of Santa Monica beach currently have a “F rating.”
Ashley Oelsen, who serves on the Santa Monica Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment, spoke during the last City Council meeting, succinctly summarizing the situation.
“I'm here tonight to bring urgent attention to the alarming amount of soot and ash that is accumulating on our beaches following the Palisades Fire. Every day that passes without immediate action, we lose the opportunity to properly remove and remediate these contaminants before they become a long term environmental hazard. Right now, people are walking barefoot and swimming in water so thick with ash it looks like lava,” Oelsen said.
“The crisis is not only environmental, but also [represents] grave danger to public health. The toxins in wildfire ash include heavy metals, asbestos and dioxins, once broken down, they'll mix into the sand and disperse with the ocean currents. Every tide, high tide carries pollutants onto the sand, and every low tide pushes them further into the marine ecosystem.
“Santa Monica takes pride in being a leader in environmental responsibility, and yet we're standing by as toxic debris spreads in our waters. I'm urging the city to take immediate action and deploy clean up crews, conduct water and sand testing and coordinate with environmental experts to ensure this contamination is addressed before it's too late. LA County is not acting on it, and if you think they are, please walk down to Channel Road and look at the storm drain at Will Rogers. The conditions are inexcusable. The window to act is rapidly closing with every wave and every tide and every footstep.”
The Daily Press spent Friday afternoon with Oelsen as she collected samples from all along the beach near Parking Lot 8 North and the nearby Montana Ave storm drain. She is sending samples to a number of different laboratories to test for dioxins, heavy metals, asbestos, chemical residue and volatile components extracted from fire debris.
She says that the immediate threat is less connected to the waste processing sites – at Will Rogers and Topanga Creek, for example – and much more to do with the burned out properties that are on the water’s edge, all along the Pacific Coast Highway. The debris from countless destroyed structures along that stretch of coastline – along with storm drain runoff – has been washing straight into the ocean since the first rain a week or so ago.
However, Oelsen insists that until the test results are back, there’s no cause for panic. “I believe it’s important that people lean on the side of caution until more information is available to the public,” she said. A sentiment shared by Mayor Lana Negrete.
“Very few of us are qualified to present solid, scientific theories and because of that it’s really important to not overreact before all the facts are in,” Negrete said, adding, “We’re actually in a fortunate position, because of an earlier tragedy, but similar in many respects, in Hawaii, we are are several steps ahead of where we might otherwise be. Much of what was learned there, just six months ago, is being applied here.
“We could of course be faced with a very serious problem here, but it makes no sense to over-react without adequate reason. We will move forward, without causing unnecessary panic or fear among the community and we will act accordingly, based on what professional scientists and environmental specialists find,” Negrete said.
However, both stress that until more is known, it would be prudent for beachgoers to not let their children play in the debris, to wear shoes at all times on the beach and to stay out of the water, for the time being. It is also important to remember that the beaches are not off-limits, but you might want to consider taking a mask with you, should you wish to stroll along the shoreline.
Unfortunately, the City of Santa Monica doesn’t possess the equipment needed for a beach clean up on this scale, so we would very much be reliant on county and federal machine, personnel and logistical assistance, which is where things can get more complicated.
Negrete has organized a virtual town on the evening of Tuesday, February 18 at 6pm where members of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and their partners will discuss post-fire air, soil and water assessment, including potential beach contamination. Questions can be submitted at tinyurl.com/post-firetownhall and the conversation will be livestreamed on facebook.com/lapublichealth and youtube.com/lapublichealth. As the flyer states, “Experts will provide initial testing results for completed assessments, explain what they mean, and answer your questions on how you can protect your health and community during recovery.”
Results from the first round of testing are in fact expected back sometime on Tuesday, so fingers crossed we’ll have a clearer idea of what the City is facing soon.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
