He warned the public not to venture beyond the police tape. "If you do find a needle on the beach, don't handle it," he said. "Contact one of our patrol units so that we can remove it."
As darkness fell Thursday, the number of needles washing ashore seemed to be abating. The beach remained closed for the night, and a search for additional needles was to resume this morning, Seim said.
News of the discovery came as Seim and Honeybourne were at an afternoon meeting about the city's other environmental pollution problem: bacteria elevations that caused weeks of beach closures this summer.
When Seim heard about the needles, he said, he told the others, "You wouldn't believe what has happened."
On one small section of beach, warning signs were taken down at 3:15 p.m. because bacteria levels had subsided, only to be replaced 15 minutes later when the needles were discovered.
"People are almost getting used to it," Seim said of the closures.
Thursday's discovery was yet another blow to the city of Huntington Beach, one of the most popular shore areas in Southern California and the site of national and international surfing competitions.
Sections of the beach have been closed, opened and reclosed since July 1, when health officials found high levels of bacteria in the water, including extremely high levels of enterococcus--known to cause gastrointestinal and respiratory infections.
The beaches were opened in time for the Labor Day holiday, then closed again the following week when traces of fecal contamination reappeared.
To the frustration of city officials, health investigators have yet to pinpoint the source of the bacteria.
"We have had many years with a reputation as a good clean beach," city spokesman Jim Hanggi said Thursday. "Hopefully people will realize this is just bad luck."
For San Bernardino residents Erica Smith and Diego Chavez, both 18, the most recent incident was the last straw after a summer of frustration.
"We came over here and thought the beach was open," Smith said. "They're always having problems with the water down here, so now we go to Newport Beach or Laguna."
Chavez said he doesn't think he will come back Huntington Beach.
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Repeat Closure
The Orange County Health Care Agency on Thursday again closed parts of Huntington State Beach and Huntington City Beach, this time because of needles that washed ashore.
