Op-Ed: Seaside Lagoon Isn’t Swamped Yet

This article was composed in the most unlikely of places: Seaside Lagoon. It's Saturday of Memorial Day weekend 2010. My son and I are sitting on the sand looking out at the marina, doing all the things we've always done here. He's bugging me to swim with him, and I'm complaining that the air needs to warm up by about 20 degrees to drive me into the 50-something degree water.

To understand why our Saturday afternoon at the lagoon could be described as unlikely, you'll need to reference my earlier column, "Murky Future for Seaside Lagoon." The column and the video that accompanies it explain that in February the permit that allowed Seaside Lagoon to operate in 2009 had expired, and the city had not secured a new one.

On April 20 the City Council voted unanimously to close the lagoon for swimming this summer rather than defy the Regional Water Quality Control Board's (RWQCB) apparent intention to deny the city's application for a new permit. Councilman Steve Aspel even announced that the lagoon would be "closed forever" if citizens didn't find a way to solve the problem.

It's not that I doubted the power of my fellow citizens. I didn't. The mayor announced at an April 20 meeting that a Facebook page entitled "Save Seaside Lagoon" had been created. Within a couple of weeks, more than 3,000 people became followers. People posted some compelling stories and photos of significant events in their lives such as weddings that have taken place at the lagoon. Kids wrote about how much they enjoy swimming in the lagoon (maybe they read my piece!).

It was my opinion at that moment that we would never swim in Seaside Lagoon again. Over the past few decades most battles in California that have been waged in the name of environmental protection have been won handily by those who claim to have the interests of the environment at heart. That was where the battle lines were being drawn in the lagoon issue. The regulatory agency had "proof" the city was polluting. It looked like a slam- dunk to me.

Then on May 6 the city issued a news release entitled "Seaside Lagoon Reopening." To say I was shocked might be a little extreme, but as an observer and participant in the discussion of the lagoon and its future for the past five years, this news took me by surprise. I had told acquaintances with what I felt was great authority, "say goodbye to Seaside Lagoon as we knew it."

So here I sit on the sand eating my words and writing others. My son and I will swim here periodically throughout the summer. He will attend two weeks of Breakwater Camp at the lagoon. We may even see the fireworks here July 4.

Before we begin to take Seaside Lagoon swimming for granted, read this  Facebook posting by Councilman Matt Kilroy:

"The TSO (Time Schedule Order= temporary permit) could get revoked at any time and be replaced with a regular permit that goes back to the same restrictive limits. The battle isn't over…"