Dry weather improves water quality along California beaches
Introduction by Patrick Porgans, Solutionist
Heal the Bay’s 23rd annual report card indicates a reduction in fecal contamination at the majority of state’s beaches and attributes the improvement primarily to the dry winter and lack of spring runoff, along with some changes in the way municipalities are treating storm water runoff. During years with high rainfall flooding contributes to increased discharges of untreated fecal bacteria, which ultimately flows into the ocean and pollutes the beaches.
The report is based on water sampling for fecal bacteria pollution conducted by health agencies and dischargers along the West Coast. Beaches were graded on an A-F scale, based on samples collected from April 2012 to March 2013. The higher the grade, the lower the risk of swimmers getting ill with the stomach flu, skin rashes, ear and upper respiratory infections and other ailments.
Heal the Bay analysts assigned A-to-F letter grades to 89 beaches in the county for three reporting periods in the 2012-2013 report, based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution. Some 84% of beaches received A or B grades for the summer period (April-October 2012), a 2% percent gain from last year's report. That figure also marks an increase of nearly 10% from two years ago.
"No day at the beach should make you sick," according Heal the Bay's spokesperson Kirsten James. Read The Beach Report Card
Nearly 70 percent of SoCal beaches received A or B grades, besting a five-year average by 14 percent
By Samantha Tata May 23, 2013
Swimmers and surfers in Southern California enjoyed cleaner beach water this year, likely due to one of the driest winters on record in the region, according to Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay’s 2012-13 study released Wednesday.
The advocacy group’s report card graded Golden State beach water quality during the summer dry weather period (April 2012 – October 2012), and during the winter dry weather (November 2012 – March 2013).
Heal the Bay is officially unveiled it's latest report card Thursday, about two weeks after the Environmental Protection Agency proposed cutting federal funding for this kind of water testing.
Beach water quality in LA County bested its own five-year average by 24 percent, to receive 57 percent A or B grades. The report notes this is likely due to the fact that this past winter was one of Southern California’s driest on record, meaning less dirty runoff water made its way to the ocean.
But despite the improvement, LA County is still home to four of the 10 dirtiest beaches in the Golden State. Among those “beach bummers” is Avalon in Catalina Island, which has held the unsavory position at No. 1 for four of the past five years. Read more
