Local Beaches Get A's in Water Quality - Patch.com
Good news for beach buffs: The quality of the water in the Santa Monica Bay has improved since last year, Heal the Bay announced Tuesday morning.
The news was noted on the nonprofit's End of Summer Beach Report Card, which tracks bacterial pollution from Memorial Day through Labor Day. During that time frame, Heal the Bay monitors and rates 447 beaches in California. Heal the Bay's previous Beach Report Card, released in May, indicated the overall water quality at Los Angeles County beaches worsened in 2010-11.
This summer, 89 percent of Santa Monica Bay beaches earned A or B grades, compared with 87 percent last year. In Los Angeles County, the number of A or B grades rose from 79 to 85 percent of beaches monitored.
Heal the Bay monitors six locations in Redondo Beach, and all received either an A or an A+ for the summer of 2011.
The water in front of the Herondo Street storm drain—currently rated A+, according to the most recent 30-day results—received an A in both 2010 and 2011. The water north of the Topaz Jetty also received an A for both years.
The water on the south side of the Redondo Beach Pier improved from a C-grade in 2010 to an A-grade in 2011; the water 100 yards south of the pier received A's both years, but is currently rated a C.
Water off the beach at Sapphire Street received an A+ both summers, though the most recent report gives it an A for the 30-day period.
The water in front of the storm drain at Avenue I improved from an A-grade in 2010 to an A+ in 2011.
The biggest improvement in Los Angeles happened in Long Beach, where all the sites monitored this summer got A or B grades—a first since 1990. Last year, that was only the case with 73 percent of beaches in that area.
"We continue to see water quality improvements at California beaches," Heal the Bay President Mark Gold said in a statement. "A sustainable source of beach monitoring funding is critical to ensure that we continue to capitalize on these gains and safeguard the public health of millions of ocean users statewide."
Ninety-four percent of Orange County beaches earned an A grade, which was slightly worse than last summer, while all 73 beaches monitored in San Diego earned an A or B grade. All 40 Ventura beaches got an A.
The news wasn't so good at San Pedro's Cabrillo Beach, which continued its eight-year streak of earning F grades, despite the city of Los Angeles pouring $15 million into improvement projects. Water quality was better in Santa Barbara County, where 87 percent of beaches received A or B grades.
While the water quality improved in Southern California this summer, there wasn't a similar uptick statewide. Like last year, 92 percent of California beaches received A or B grades. Nine earned C's, nine received D's and 19 got F's.
Heal the Bay bases its report on weekly water quality monitoring data that is provided by dischargers and health agencies. The organization explains the methodology behind the Beach Report Card—which the nonprofit calls "a comprehensive examination of coastal water in California, Oregon and Washington"—on its website.
Also, Heal the Bay has announced a soon-to-be-released, free Beach Report Card iPhone application through which a comprehensive, weekly analysis of coastline water quality can be accessed.
Nicole Mooradian contributed to this report.
28 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNH25VgZT_WGLjFlxdvfkXNwzQ5Nww&url=http://redondobeach.patch.com/articles/local-beaches-get-as-in-water-quality
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
