Committee Considers Dredging Children's Pool

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego City Council committee will consider today a proposal to dredge the Children's Pool in La Jolla so people and seals can both enjoy the beach.

The Children's Pool breakwater, along Coast Boulevard, was built in 1931 as a sheltered swimming area for children. But in recent years it has been occupied by a colony of protected harbor seals.

The county's Environmental Health Department closed the beach to the public in 1997 because of contamination from seal excrement.

The plan being considered by the Natural Resources and Culture Committee calls for 3,000 cubic yards of sand to be dredged from the beach, which would allow tidal flow to flush the area and improve water quality, according to a city manager's report.

Since the beach was closed, the seal population has grown from about a dozen animals to between 160 and 200, according to the report.

Environmentalists argue that dredging the pool would violate the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it unlawful to harass seals.

"It is just unthinkable that the city is considering anything other than leaving the seals alone," said Patrick Hord, former director of La Jolla Friends of the Seals.

The city estimates it will cost $250,000 to $500,000 to dredge the Children's Pool.

The proposal would require approval of the committee and the full City Council before it could be enacted.