The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors just doesn't get it. For nearly a decade, toxic sediments have been accumulating in Ballona Creek and the mouth of Marina del Rey (Times, May 14). The county officials would have you believe that we shouldn't care about the impacts of these sediments laden with lead, other heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons. Instead we should just dump them in the middle of the ocean or use them to replenish sand on Dockweiler Beach.
Beaches and Harbors has two major responsibilities to the public, boat owners and other users of the marina: (1) To keep the marina safe for boaters; and (2) To keep the marina's environment clean without negatively impacting our coastal resources. Such statements as Chief Planner Larry Charness' comment that the EPA is more "concerned about a worm dying in a tank of water" than ensuring the safety of boaters makes one realize that Beaches and Harbors has complete disdain for their environmental responsibilities.
