SYV_OaksBy an edhat reader
I went surfing yesterday at one of “my spots” between El Capitan & Refugio beaches around 12 noon. Up by the turnout by train tracks at Corral Beach, there is a very, very strong smell of sewage. I talked to some of the other surfers nearby and we were trying to figure out where the smell is coming from. Somebody said that Cal Trans (or whoever) might be dumping Montecito mud from the 101 up there. The mud might be mixed with sewage from homes where the septic tank overflowed. Is there any way to confirm who is dumping what up there by Refugio, and to confirm if it is contaminated with sewage? I am very concerned about this as a citizen, and a surfer. I hope people are not surfing close to where they are dumping dirty, smelly, possibly contaminated mud. I know they are dumping mud at Goleta Beach, and possibly just north of Winchester Canyon area, but by Refugio now too?
I was up at Refugio on Monday when the posts were up about no swimming, but the surfers ignored it and went bombing into the water totally disregarding the signs. They must have a good reason for closing.
There was a fairly strong upcoast current yesterday. As a surfer I am sure you check current and swell before you hop in the water. If you look at the current maps from yesterday it was basically pulling in from the center of the channel directly into Refugio. You can also see that we are in a back eddy so our channel is basically in a full rotation counter clockwise.
It is natural seepage.