Blue Water Task Force

Blue Water Task Force Has Moved!

2011-04-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

The Surfrider Foundation has consolidated all of our issue-based blogs into one Coastal Blog. Come check it out at www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog

More on Sewage Spill in NH

2011-03-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Millions of disks, tons of raw sewage spilled from Hooksett plant

By DAN O'BRIEN
Union Leader Correspondent
Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2011

HOOKSETT – The number of small, plastic disks that escaped from the Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant is much higher than previously thought, according to local and state officials.

Between 4 million and 8 million disks spilled out of an overflowing tank, along with about 300,000 gallons of raw sewage, and into the Merrimack River on March 6.

It was originally thought the number of escaped disks was in the hundreds of thousands.

Officials did not realize the severity of the problem until five days after the spill when disks were discovered along the Merrimack River shoreline between Hooksett and Newburyport, Mass., where some beaches were closed.

The state Department of Environmental Services said the disks do not pose a health risk and the vast majority of disks did not test positive for harmful bacteria.

The disks, officially known as Biolfilm Chip M Media, are not much larger than the size of a quarter. They were introduced to the plant last November in a ceremony that included Gov. John Lynch and touted as a new sewage treatment method that reduced the number of aeration tanks that needed to be built, saving the town $1 million.

Hooksett is potentially facing a penalty of $25,000 per violation, per day, according to Assistant Attorney General Allen Brooks, chief of the Attorney General Office's Environmental Protection Bureau.

State and local officials confirmed the Hooksett plant had not installed an alarm system on the sewage tanks that would have alerted workers to an overflow until the day after the spill.Investigators are still determining if a fine will be issued.

"Everything they did will be considered," Brooks said.

DES is trying to recruit volunteers to help clean up the disks along beaches in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts.

Emergency Beach Clean-ups in NH to Remove Wastewater Treatment Disks

2011-03-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

The New Hampshire Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is hosting emergency clean-ups at area beaches to remove a rash of washed up disks that are used to remove bacteria from wastewater. More info below. This incident is similar to a beach pollution issue that Surfrider Europe investigated during 2010. Surfrider Europe Investigates Plastic Debris on Atlantic Beaches.

Chris Shipley photos

Volunteers sought to remove contaminated disks from beaches

By Chelsey Shuman

March 16, 2011 2:00 AM
Seacoast Online

HAMPTON — The Blue Ocean Society and New Hampshire Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will host emergency beach cleanups at three locations in response to the accidental discharge of bacteria-laden disks that escaped from the Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant last week and washed up on area beaches.

The cleanups were initially scheduled for today but have been rescheduled to Thursday, March 17, from noon to 5 p.m. Volunteers are asked to gather at the North Hampton State Beach parking lot at 295 Ocean Blvd., the parking lot in front of the Ashworth by the Sea Hotel in Hampton and the parking lot next to the Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative in Seabrook. Volunteers will be provided gloves and trash bags to help remove the disks. Officials from both organizations and the state Department of Environmental Services will be on hand to help.

The disks were used at the Hooksett plant to help soak up and consume bacteria in wastewater. On Monday, crews from the Strafford County Department of Corrections removed thousands of disks, but officials say there are many more to be collected. The disks led officials to temporarily close Seabrook Beach.

DES officials on Monday declared the disks tested negative for both E. coli and Enterococci. "We tested for these types of bacteria because they are what are typically involved in water contamination," James Martin, DES public information officer, said Tuesday.

DES testing of the disks over the weekend came back positive for E. coli, but Martin said the tests showed a very low level of contamination. "What we found was equivalent to the level of bacteria you encounter on a doorknob every day," he said. "Because of this low number, it is important for people not to panic and understand everything is being done in our power to take care of this."

While the most recent tests came back negative, Martin is encouraging folks not to touch the disks with their bare hands. "Even if you use gloves, please be careful and wash your hands afterwards or use a disinfectant," he said.

For information, visit www.meetup.com/Surfrider-Foundation-New-Hampshire-Chapter/events/16928227/

To help

Volunteer beach cleanup

Hosts: Department of Environmental Services and the Blue Ocean Society

When: Noon-5 p.m. Thursday, March 17

Where: North Hampton, Hampton, Seabrook beaches

Details: Visit www.des.nh.gov or www.blueoceansociety.org.

Monitoring Gulf Beaches for Oil and Dispersants

2011-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Emerald Coast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has been monitoring beach water along the panhandle of Florida since last summer. See their water testing info center for more information.

They have just started on a new venture with a researcher from the University of South Florida to start monitoring the beaches for evidence of oil contamination in the sand. Read more below.

Surfriders team up with researchers as DEP resumes testing for oil, dispersants

Jennie Hobbs

The Walton Sun

Emerald Coast Surfrider Foundation has joined with University of South Florida researcher Rip Kirby in its quest for answers on the conditions of area beaches.

“Surfrider will be joining his team and assisting with his sampling effort,” chairman Michael Sturdivant said at the organization’s February chapter meeting, where he introduced the coastal geologist.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the world's waves and beaches.

Following an announcement from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in regards to its stepping up its water testing, the foundation plans to switch much of its testing energies to soil sampling.

“Hopefully we will show the beaches are clean,” Sturdivant said.

The testing is important for the protection of community health and trust, Sturdivant said.

At the meeting, Kirby brought in the “latest and greatest” in fluorescent light technology to show how crude oil that has come into contact with dispersants will glow bright orange when illuminated.

“If the isotopic signature fluoresces in orange and gold, it has Corexit,” Kirby said.

Kirby predicts oil will be impacting the beaches in some form for the next three to five years.

“With our warmer temperatures, we are hoping the bugs will break it down faster,” Kirby said. But his fear is “oil coming onto our beaches by an offshore wave event.”

Sewage Dumping on Long Island, NY

2011-02-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Update: The Central Long Island Chapter will be hosting another meeting on on March 1, 2011 with the Comissioner of Nassau County Public Works speaking on the sewage dumping in Reynold's Channel and answering questions from the public on what the County is doing to remedy this situation and fix the problems at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant.

The Central Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation hosted a capacity crowd on January 20, 2011 at the Long Beach Public Library. Most of the crowd had turned out to hear Scott Bochner, a local surfer and resident turned environmental activist, speak about his discovery of the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant's illegal dumping of sewage sludge into the local waters of Reynold's Channel.

photo credit: www.longislandpress.com

After Scott started noticing the brown, discolored water in the Bay close to his home he started posting videos of the discharge on YouTube. He then got on the phone and began calling every elected official, local and state health and environmental agency, and members of the press to bring attention to this disgusting and flagrant pollution of the local water ways.

With the help of an online petition and some local media attention, Scott and a group of other like-minded individuals dubbed the Sludge Stoppers, finally succeeded into shaming and embarassing the Nassau County Executive, who is ultimately responsible for this County-run facility, into finally beginning to take some corrective steps to fix what seems like a comedy of errors at the poorly run and neglected sewage treatment plant, something the hollow threats of fines from the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation were unable to accomplish.

Scott, the Sludge Stoppers, and other concerned citizens are now keeping a close eye on the County and the plant to make sure the dumping stops and the County follows through on their promises to change the management, fix broken equipment and upgrade the facility and its operations. The energy that was created by Scott's presentation at the Surfrider meeting bred a new citizen task force that will help monitor the plant's activities and push the County to take even more steps to protect the health of its local waterways and citizens, including faster water testing, timely and online posting of water quality data, and public notification of future sewage discharges to protect the people that fish, swim, and otherwise recreate in these waters.

Scott's speech really illustrated the power of one passionate person armed with a video camera and access to the internet to bring on change in the face of long-standing government neglect and abuse.

photo credit: www.longislandpress.com

For more media coverage of this issue check out:

Bay Park Sewage Plant Still Dumping Waste In Fishing Waters

Ad Hoc Group: Stop Dumping Sewage in the Bay

Activists want Bay Park sewage discharges to stop

Santa Monica High School Press Release & Data Displays

2011-02-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

The December 2010 rains in California brought the expected stormwater runoff and pollution to area beaches. The students of Santa Monica High School’s Teach and Test Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program recorded high bacteria levels in their beach water samples and did their best to get the word out. They put together the below press release as well as continued to post their results using the "Safe to Surf" water quality boards they have posted at nearly a dozen local surf shops and other businesses. These students are doing a great job at keeping people talking about beach water pollution issues and raising the visibility of their water testing program in the local community.

~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~

December 23, 2010L

Swim at Your Own Risk!

By Zack Gold

Co-president, Heal the Bay Surfrider Club

Santa Monica High School 601 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405

Student Contact: Zachary Gold

Teacher Contact: Benjamin Kay

Three hours ago, student members of Santa Monica High School’s Teach and Test Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program, sponsored by Surfrider Foundation, removed ocean samples from their classroom incubator to discover super high fecal bacteria levels at all three of their Santa Monica sites: Pico-Kenter and Santa Monica Pier storm drains as well as Lifeguard Station 26. Students collected the samples 24 hours earlier on Wednesday to determine the level of Enterococcus bacteria, a bacteria found in human and mammal feces, and one used as an indicator of ocean health and human risk by Los Angeles County.

The mean values of Enterococcus bacteria for Lifeguard Station 26, Pico-Kenter, and Santa Monica Pier ocean sites were 1193, 1414, and 2240 colony forming units per 100 mL, respectively. The state’s acceptable levels for Enterococcus colony forming units is 104. Thus, student data show the water quality is over 10 times worse than the state’s acceptable level, indicating very polluted water quality and an increased risk to beachgoers.

Zack Gold, co-president of the Heal the Bay Surfrider Club and student leader of the Teach and Test program explained, “The water quality results for bacteria from this week’s sampling were absolutely appalling. We should never have fecal indicator bacteria levels 10 times higher than the state's acceptable level. We know for sure that the chances of getting sick increase greatly when it rains, yet I saw lots of surfers at Lifeguard Station 26 and at Pico Kenter storm drain in the disgusting water. The trend in our data is pretty clear – about 10 months of good water quality during the dry season followed by spikes of Enterococcus in the wet season and with this heavy rain we definitely got a spike."

Benjamin Kay, Marine Biology teacher at Santa Monica High School and club advisor said: “It’s a plastic-laden bacterial soup out there. I checked out the surf at Santa Monica Beach this morning, and plastics were strewn all over the sand near the water. My students’ research confirmed why health officials say to stay out of the surf for 3 days after a rain. I gambled and surfed some very enticing waves, and now have a minor earache. Coincidence?”

Teach and Test students inform over 10 local surf shops and other businesses about their results on a weekly basis. Stores then post the results using their “safe to surf?” water quality boards that the students helped make and distribute with Surfrider Foundation.

Rains bring sewage to beaches in California

2011-01-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

Heavy rains in Southern California caused havoc at the end of 2010. Many cities saw their wastewater infrastructure become overwhelmed by the high volumes of water and fail, discharging raw sewage and polluted run-off at area beaches. Our own, Rick Wilson, speaks about the issue on Southern California Public Radio. Download audio here.

The Surfrider Foundation supported a House bill last year that would have provided an independent funding source to fix our nation's water infrastructure problems and help prevent beach pollution. Learn more at the Know Your H2O blog.

« Episode: Patt Morrison for December 28, 2010

When it rains in SoCal, is it a given that our beaches are awash in sewage?

MP3 Download

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

A beach closed sign warns against contaminated water due to recent rain runoff, before the dedication ceremony for the iconic Malibu Surfrider Beach to become the first 'World Surfing Reserve', in Malibu in October 2010.

It happens so regularly during the winter months that it’s largely accepted as standard practice: when it rains, Southern California’s beaches are inundated with raw sewage and other toxic runoff from an inundated sewer system that cannot handle large volumes of water. After one of the wettest Decembers on record, beaches in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties have been closed to the public for weeks because of repeated sewage spills and, with more rain on the way before the new year, beaches won’t be suitable for people anytime soon. Are the sewage systems in the area so antiquated and the region in general so ill prepared for big storms, that raw sewage on our beaches is just an accepted part of doing business in Southern California? How bad is the problem and what kind of resources would it take to update our storm runoff capabilities?

Guest:

Rick Wilson, coastal management coordinator for the Surfriders Foundation

Web Resources

The BWTF: Where are we?

2010-11-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

BWTF Chapter Programs

(click on map to view using google maps)

There are currently over 30 chapters in the US participating in the Blue Water Task Force. Surfrider volunteers are testing the water quality at beaches along the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico & Pacific Coasts, including the tropical waters of Puerto Rico and Hawaii. The Blue Water Task Force is able to measure bacteria levels at both marine and freshwater beaches and compare them to federal water quality standards established by the EPA to protect public health in recreational waters.

There is a lot of diversity amongst the Blue Water Task Force programs. Each chapter has been able to design and implement their water testing programs to best use their available resources and local needs. Some chapters collect water samples at their local beaches and run their own water testing labs. Some chapters partner with other coastal organizations such as universities, aquariums and watershed groups. Some chapters provide manpower to local beach monitoring programs by collecting water samples and delivering them to state or county run labs, and many chapters have water testing programs established in local schools. Check online to see if a Surfrider chapter near you is posting water quality data from local beaches.

Surfrider Europe also has a very robust bathing waters initiative.

Oceans 2030: Youth Outlook, A photo, video & artwork contest

2010-11-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Complete Online Submission Here.

Submission Deadline: November 22, 2010

Oceans 2030: Youth Outlook will provide a forum for youth to share their vision for our oceans over the next 20 years as part of the 11th National Conference: Our Changing Oceans organized by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE).

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is a stark reminder of our influence on the ocean, and it value to society and our economy. Oil spills are only one threat. Overfishing, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and overarching all of these, climate change will result in profound changes to our oceans and coasts over the next 20 years. Engaging today’s youth in creating solutions is vital, and will shape their futures and the world they inherit.

Oceans 2030 is a multimedia - photo, video, and art - contest. Winning entries in each media will be showcased at the Waves of Change Oceans Expo at the Our Changing Oceans Conference and published online in the Encyclopedia of Earth.

Criteria:
Photograph – digital photograph in high resolution in .jpg, .png or .gif file format
Video – short video (up to 5 minutes) uploaded via YouTube
Graphic Art – illustration or comic (up to 3 panels) in high resolution in .jpg, .png or .gif file format

Each submission must also include 200-300 words (.doc or .pdf file formats) outlining your vision for our oceans in 2030 and why?

Contestants aged 15-24 are allowed one entry which must be your own original work. The content should express personal perspectives and identify key issues and solutions. Submissions will be evaluated on originality, creativity, and relevance to the theme.

Inform your project by perusing the new Ocean Learning E-Resources Website. Each media category can include (but is not limited to) the following suggested topics:

Oceans and Climate
· Sea level rise
· Carbon storage
· Ocean acidification
· Health impacts
· Extreme weather

Marine Ecosystems
· Marine biodiversity
· Wetlands
· Coral reefs
· Deep sea
· Polar regions

Oceans and the Economy
· Fisheries
· Tourism
· Energy
· Pollution and waste
· Ecosystem services

Learn more about these topics, and get ideas for contest, at Ocean Learning E-Resources website.

Download a contest flyer or the contest guidelines.

Complete Online Submission Form Here.

Submission Deadline: November 22, 201

Combined Sewer Overflows Continue to Plague the Olympic Peninsula

2010-11-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

Combined Sewer Overflows continue to pollute our nation's rivers, bays & beaches. Recent heavy rains in Port Angeles, Washington caused sewage overflows to discharge into the harbor this week. This is an issue the Olympic Coast Chapter has been concerned about for years now. Unfortunately the State did not get it together to pass a new Clean Water bill this year that would have collected funds from the oil industry to help clean up stormwater pollution and fix ongoing problems such as these CSOs in Port Angeles.

See the below press released issued by Clallam County.

"Due to heavy rains on Monday, the four combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls in Port Angeles discharged approximately 1.3 million gallons of a mixture of stormwater and raw sewage into Port Angeles Harbor. Two of the CSO outfalls are near Hollywood Beach. Clallam County Environmental Health Division recommends avoiding contact with waters in Port Angeles Harbor 48 hours following rainfall. Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses. The City of Port Angeles is currently designing a project to significantly reduce the frequency and volume of these discharges. Provided the City receives adequate funding, this project will be constructed beginning in July of 2011. For questions about the advisory, contact Clallam County Environmental Health at 417-2543. For more information about the Port Angeles combined sewer overflows, visit www.cityofpa.us/CSO.htm or call 417-4811."

Beach Monitoring in CA Survives Budget Cuts for 1 More Year

2010-10-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Nearly $1 million found for beach water tests in 2011

Funds still must be approved by state water officials.

BY MIKE LEE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 AT 1:48 P.M.

JOHN GIBBINS

Beach water quality testing in San Diego County and the rest of California is jeopardized by the lack of a long-term funding source.

California’s signature clean-beach initiative — testing for bacteria at hundreds of sites statewide — was left out of the recently passed budget, but a state agency appears to have found nearly $1 million to keep the program afloat for another year.

On Nov. 2, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to approve spending $984,000 from voter-approved environmental funding initiatives to pay for the tests in 2011. The board approved a similar measure in 2008. The new move is likely to come with a directive that various parties involved in ocean monitoring better coordinate their efforts to reduce redundancy and the need for outside funding.

Beyond that, the future of beach testing in California remains murky, as it has been since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated spending for the program during budget cuts in 2008.

Ocean advocates welcomed the possible injection of grant money from Propositions 13 and 50 but said it’s not enough. The funds would come from projects that didn’t use their allotment.

“This does not represent a sustainable, long-term source of funding,” said Rick Wilson, coastal management coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation’s national office in San Clemente. “It is imperative that such a funding source be identified for the protection of beachgoers in the future.”

In 1997, Assembly Bill 411 mandated that all beaches with storm drains that discharge during dry weather and that are visited by more than 50,000 people a year be monitored at least weekly by local health officials from April 1 to Oct. 31. California later ordered the posting of warning signs at beaches that exceed state standards for bacterial indicators.

The program is among the most comprehensive in the nation and is widely credited with prompting improvements at polluted beaches. If it disappears, conservationists such as Wilson fear contamination levels will creep back up to pre-1997 levels.

For months, ecology groups, health officials, elected leaders and others have been trying to cobble together a steady stream of money to keep the tests running. Historically, San Diego County received about $300,000 for its peak-season testing at dozens of sites.

“San Diego County is in some ways the most perilous situation because it gets the biggest amount from the state,” Wilson said.

San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox has directed his staff to investigate financing sources, including a possible federal grant, but said this week that nothing is imminent.

“I view this as a public safety issue and something that we ought to be doing for the public, especially in San Diego” where the economy relies on beach tourism, Cox said.

So why not use county money to pay for the program?

“We are dealing with the same issues everybody else is” with regard to budget cuts, Cox said.

Mike Lee: (619)293-2034; mike.lee@uniontrib.com. Follow on Twitter @sdenvi

Surfrider Europe Investigates Plastic Debris on Atlantic Beaches

2010-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Biofilters wash up on Atlantic beaches

October 12, 2010 | Words By: Howard

The beaches of the Atlantic are sprinkled with small plastic wheels: this new phenomenon sparked the suspicions of Surfrider Europe, who launched an investigation that is still underway. A brief interview with François Verdet, manager of Surfrider’s Chapter 64 and lead investigator into the mysterious bio-filters, provides an update on the situation. Elodie Melenec asks the questions.

SFE: How long has the Surfrider Foundation been aware of this form of pollution?

François Verdet: Living on the Basque Coast since July in 2007, I recall seeing these little pieces of plastic on the beaches since my arrival. But in November of 2009, the numbers spiked and the Surfrider Chapter of the Basque Coast took the decision to launch an investigation. Initially, it was challenging because nobody was interested in this type of pollution. We heard rumours that they were packing material for large cargo aboard freighters or even wastes from patrolling submarines! The answer arrived from Corsica. The local Surfrider Chapter, responding to an invitation from the city of Ajaccio for a presentation on a new waste water treatment plant, recognized the little plastic bio-filters on the cover of some printed documents. We could finally put a name and a purpose to the mystery objects that were populating Atlantic beaches in their thousands.

SFE: Can you explain what the bio-filters are and how they wound up on the beaches?

F.V.: These bio-filters, or bio-carriers (médias filtrants or biomédias in French and biosoportes in Spanish) are actually substrate for micro-organisms used in waste water treatment plants and also in certain industries. It’s very simple: generally speaking, wastes are screened through progressively finer mesh to retain suspended particles. They are then treated chemically or with UV light and the final stage is a biological filtration to eliminate micro-residues. It’s in this final stage that bacteria are at work to break down the wastes. Researchers noticed that this process was more effective if they had some kind of support to attach to. This is why, starting in around 2000, more and more waste water treatment plants as well as industrial plants, were filling their biological ponds with millions the plastic wheels for the bacteria to attach to. Unfortunately, some of the ponds containing the bio-filters overflowed and the filters washed into nearby streams, and then into the ocean. For example, we found instances where this occurred in the Seine in Paris, the Oria River in the Basque Country, and the Minho River in Portugal. In each instance, hundreds of thousands, even millions of the bio-filters, were released into the environment.

Credit: Antenne 64 Surfrider

SFE: What specific demands and what goals are you targeting with this project?

F.V.: Our objective is obviously to get this new form of pollution to stop. It’s so paradoxical to pollute the environment while trying to clean it! Today, a half-dozen people at Surfrider are working on this via several angles:
1. Fieldwork to gather more information and eyewitness accounts for confirmed cases of bio-filter pollution to lodge formal complaints against the emitters.
2. Exposure and media campaigns to raise awareness and improve alert response and also inform responsible authorities and lobby for improved standards for waste water treatment plants. As well, work with the manufacturers and the consultants who recommend the product to clients with the goal to encourage them to improve the process. Overall, we are putting a lot of energy into this bio-filter project because it’s representative of the core principles of Surfrider: the campaign against water pollution. If the concept of providing bacteria with substrate to improve efficiency (we’re talking about a 30% gain in efficiency), the idea isn’t new. For some time now, some wastewater treatment plants have used volcanic rocks as bacterial substrate. It’s of little consequence to see this material escaping into streams and oceans. Unfortunately, for economic and production reasons, plastic has been favoured over natural rock – but the plastic isn’t biodegradable and will incrementally pollute the aquatic environment.

SFE: So how it going today? How is the project going?

F.V.: For the media, information and lobbying efforts, we have contacted all the relevant French departments and the elected representatives responsible for coastal management, like the Minister of the Environment, nature-based and aquatic sports organizations. The campaign is part of our Brussels program and we are working on awareness raising in Spain. The 45 Surfrider Chapters in Europe are on alert to react swiftly in case of a new pollution event. Case in point, the Chapter in Picarde has recently encountered this situation. In any case, we are pursuing our investigation into the situation of greatest concern; the coastal Atlantic from Cantabrie (Spain) to the Vendée (France). We have received more than 50 reports on this situation. Unfortunately, several clues lead us to believe that the releases are from one or two entities located on a waterway in northern Spain near the French border. Assuming we’re confident that we’ve identified the responsible parties and the dates of the events, we’re now trying to get information on the quantity of the spill. This could unfortunately reach the tens of millions of individual pieces of plastic!

Translation: Dan McDonald

Sewage Spill in Southern California

2010-10-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Sewage spills, leaks and overflows continue to pollute our beach water and are the 2nd major culprit behind swimming advisories and beach closures issued in this country (stormwater runoff is the first). Another big sewage spill just occurred in Southern California on September 29, 2010.

Los Angeles County health officials closed a two-mile stretch of beach just south of Ballona Creek near Marina del Rey last week after raw sewage flowed into the ocean. The closures were ordered after a clog in a sewer main caused a manhole near Centinela Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard to overflow Wednesday, discharging an estimated 500,000 gallons of raw sewage into a storm drain that leads to Ballona Creek and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean. The spill ranks among the worst in the last two years along the Los Angeles County coastline.

Major Marina del Rey sewage spill will keep beach closed for days A blockage in a main sent about 500,000 gallons of raw sewage into a storm drain leading to Ballona Creek. The spill ranks among the worst in the last two years along the Los Angeles County coastline.

October 01, 2010|By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times

A major sewage spill that has closed a two-mile stretch of beach near Marina del Rey released about 500,000 gallons of raw sewage into a storm drain that runs to Ballona Creek and eventually spills into the ocean, authorities said.

The spill ranks among the worst in the last two years along the Los Angeles County coastline. The beach will probably remain closed for three days.

Residents reported a manhole overflowing with sewage near Centinela Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Ron Charles, spokesman for the Los Angeles Public Works Department.

City crews dispatched to the scene determined the spill was caused by a blockage in a sewer main.

"The entire backup amount entered an adjacent storm drain, which discharges to the Sepulveda Channel, and ultimately, the Ballona Creek," Charles said in a statement.

Los Angeles and Culver City work crews diverted the flow of sewage, vacuumed up effluent streaming down a hillside and fixed the backup by about 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, called it a "major spill," but did not know how much of the sewage had reached the ocean.

The two-mile stretch of beach south of Ballona Creek will remain closed to swimmers and surfers until at least 3 p.m. Saturday, he said.

In January 2006, 2 million gallons of raw sewage spilled from a Manhattan Beach pumping plant after an apparent power failure. Officials launched a massive cleanup after hundreds of thousands of gallons flowed onto the sand and into the ocean.

The last major spill happened in January in South Gate, when 210,000 gallons of sewage flowed through the L.A. River and emptied into Long Beach Harbor, county records show.

County health officials said they are closely monitoring and testing ocean water near the outlet of Ballona Creek. Beaches will reopen when they pass health tests for two consecutive days.

tony.barboza@latimes.com

Beach monitoring in CA suffers from budget cuts: Part 2

2010-10-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

State's Budget Cuts Put Surfers at Risk
By Chelsea Marcum
September 29, 2010

California’s pristine coastline is in imminent danger, due to the state's financial woes. Photo: Pu’u

Beach quality testing in California has plummeted in recent years, increasing surfers' risk of unknowingly exposing themselves to contaminated water, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. With no clear state funding for testing after this year, advocacy groups like Surfrider Foundation and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper are stepping up to fill the gap.

Surfrider Foundation began testing beaches in the early '90s, due to the lack of public information on water quality, but bowed out to county agencies in 1999, after a California law required official publicized beach monitoring throughout the state. California led the country in beach quality monitoring, paving the way for the Federal Beach Act, which established water-testing requirements around the nation.

It's a decade later, and water testing in California has fallen to an all-time low since the policy change. In 2008, the state cut the project's $1 million budget, leaving health agencies scrambling to continue testing with emergency bond funds, which are expected to run out by the end of the year. By law, counties are not required to continue the beach monitoring without proper funding, prompting Surfrider to conduct its own testing.

"Some of the counties will basically take the winter off," says Surfrider's Coastal Management Coordinator, Rick Wilson. The counties are prioritizing and assume there will be fewer beach-goers during the colder months, he says. Many Surfrider chapters are using volunteers to raise funds for lab equipment, collect samples, and publicize test results on the web.

"We're not a state certified lab, so we're not necessarily saying to close the beach because of our results," says Wilson. "But it's good general information to know whether the bacteria counts are high or low."

Water with high levels of bacteria, sourced from sewage systems, leaking septic tanks or animal waste, makes surfers vulnerable to illness, rashes and infections. And after the 2008 winter budget cuts, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper took over monitoring several county beaches, posting the contamination levels from spots like Rincon and El Capitan State Beach.

It's common for locals to complain of such ailments after surfing certain spots, says Ben Pitterle, the Watershed Group's Program Director. But coupled with the best swells of the season, even the worst contamination reports can be ignored. Pitterle admits that deciding whether or not to jump in questionable water leads to an unfair give and take, in which good surf usually wins. "If the surf's not that good and it's dirty, I'll stay out," he says. "I think most surfers know what they're getting into-if the surf's good enough, they're probably going to go for it anyways."

Paul Jenkin, Environmental Coordinator for Ventura County's Surfrider Chapter, suffers from frequent ear infections and once had mononucleosis, allegedly caused by poor water quality. The Ventura Surfrider chapter partners with Pitterle's group to test the often-neglected fresh water streams feeding to the central coastline. He believes more people should report illness after surfing dirty water, even when the correlation is difficult to confirm. "I think a lot of surfers think, 'Oh yeah bummer I got sick,' and just kind of move on with things. But if nobody reports then nobody knows. We need to demonstrate that there really is a health risk," he says.

Surfers shouldn't ignore useful albeit bothersome guidelines, like showering post-session and staying out of the water for 72 hours after rainfall. When deciding whether to go to beaches that are near heavy development, creek mouths, or storm drains, Wilson suggests choosing spots with the most natural surroundings. "Where [polluted] water tends to collect, then spill out to the ocean, is typically worse than a spot half a mile away," says Wilson.

California coast residents testing the neglected beaches are hoping for county programs to resume this winter. "We're definitely discouraged that the funding for this kind of important testing is being cut," says Pitterle. "We hope as things turn around, and as the economy improves, it will again become a priority."

http://www.surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/californias_contaminated_coastline_surfrider_foundation_beach_water_testing/

Beach monitoring in CA suffers from budget cuts

2010-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

The downturn in the economy these past couple years has been affecting beach monitoring programs around the country. The below article from the LA Times, documents the problem in California.

Health testing way down at California beaches

The monitoring is at its lowest level since becoming law more than a decade ago, putting swimmers, surfers and divers at greater risk of exposure to contaminated water, a Times investigation shows.

August 30, 2010|By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times

Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times

Health testing of California's beaches has slumped to its lowest level since ocean monitoring became law more than a decade ago, putting swimmers, surfers and divers at greater risk of exposure to contaminated water, a Times investigation has found.

Beaches from San Diego to the Bay Area are being tested less often and in fewer locations; some are going untested for months at a time. Statewide, the number of annual tests for bacteria has dropped by nearly half since 2005, according to a Times analysis of state records.

Beach closures and advisories have also fallen dramatically — in part because there's less pollution, but also because health officials aren't detecting the dirty water that remains.

At calm, sheltered Baby Beach in Dana Point, which attracts parents with young children but also traps contaminated runoff, health officials did not test for five months earlier this year.

In Long Beach, home to some of the most polluted ocean water in the state, 40% of beach sites are no longer being tested, city officials said. State records show that testing at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro is down 80% and 65% in Santa Monica. At San Onofre State Beach at the northern edge of San Diego County, water at the legendary Trestles surf break was tested only four times last year, down from nearly 70 times in 2005.

The culprit is a familiar one: state and county budget cuts. In 2008, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the $1 million the state had provided each year to test hundreds of beaches for bacteria. Since then, emergency bond funds and stimulus dollars have been tapped to keep the testing program afloat, but the money is expected to evaporate by year's end.

Overall, water quality at the region's beaches is almost certainly better than it was in the past, experts say. Tens of millions of dollars have been spent to divert and treat runoff and wastewater before it washes into the ocean. Drought conditions have also reduced the amount of runoff reaching the ocean.

Nonetheless, clean-water advocates say the cutbacks have put people at risk. Those who swim in contaminated water are exposed to gastrointestinal viruses and to pathogens that can cause skin rashes and ear, eye and staph infections. Swimmers are most likely to get sick in poor-circulating water near river mouths and sewer outfalls, especially after rain.

"Water quality absolutely has gotten better during the summer months," said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay. "But the reality is that less frequent monitoring means there's a much greater chance of someone swimming or surfing in polluted water unknowingly."

Tourism officials have also expressed concern. They say the cost to monitor beaches is inconsequential compared with the estimated $12 billion in tourist-related revenue California beach towns generate each year.

"California's coastline is one of our biggest assets as a travel destination," said Kathryn Burnside, a spokeswoman for the California Travel and Tourism Commission. "What makes sense from a health perspective certainly makes sense for the tourism industry."

Health and wastewater agencies responsible for beach testing defend the scaled-back monitoring as adequate. Some officials said the amount of testing has been underreported, while others acknowledged severe cutbacks.

Schwarzenegger's office said the state has continued funding beach water monitoring at a 90% level despite budget difficulties.

"It is not immediately clear why the number of tests taken by counties have declined this much," spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola said in a written statement. She said the Department of Public Health and the State Water Board are investigating the reason for the declines while they search for a permanent funding source for future testing.

Los Angeles County health officials said their own testing has remained constant and disputed the state's records for the county's coastline.

"We continue to do the tests weekly, and we're not doing less sampling because we don't have money," said Alfonso Medina, director of the county's Environmental Protection Bureau. However, other agencies that test some of the county's beaches may have cut back.

Public health officials say they are unable to gauge if reduced testing has caused more swimmers to get sick. Cases are rarely reported because they mimic ailments such as food poisoning or stomach flu.

The number of beaches in California closed by health officials has fallen 74% since 2005, The Times found. Postings, which alert swimmers to contaminated water, dropped 44%. State and local officials do not know how much of that decline is attributable to cleaner water and how much to less testing. Many beachgoers, however, assume that the lack of signs means the water is clean.

"If there isn't a sign posted, I kind of assume it's safe," said Susan Thomas, who takes her 16-month-old daughter, MaKenzie, to the beach every other weekend. "We're obviously taking a risk going into the water anywhere along this coast, but when she swims, she goes under."

The beach where Thomas spoke, Baby Beach in Dana Point, was busy on a balmy afternoon earlier this month. Dozens of children and their parents splashed in a shallow, roped-off swimming area as a lifeguard watched from a tower nearby.

Historically, the beach has been one of the region's dirtiest, sliding by with C's and D's on Heal the Bay's annual beach report card. And yet health monitoring at Baby Beach and 38 other beaches in Orange County — including Little Corona in Newport Beach and Main Beach in Laguna — shut down for five months during the winter for lack of funds.

California's pioneering 1999 law requires health officials to test at least once a week during the long summer beach season. If a beach fails, lifeguards post signs alerting swimmers to the risk. Congress used the law as its national model, and many Southern California beaches expanded to year-round, almost daily testing earlier this decade.

But the California law has a loophole: Testing isn't required if the program is not fully funded. Without money from Sacramento, health agencies can cut testing or choose not to report results without violating the law, something state officials suspect is contributing to the declining numbers.

In Ventura County, the loss of state funds meant that monitoring of its 42-mile coastline was halted for eight months in November 2008.

"Once the money went away, there was no mandate to sample, so we suspended sampling," said program coordinator Richard Hauge.

In some coastal areas, nonprofits are taking up the slack as government agencies cut back.

When Santa Barbara County reduced funding for year-round beach testing two years ago, the nonprofit Santa Barbara Channelkeeper raised money to pay interns to collect the water samples at 16 beaches through the winter, when the bigger waves draw more surfers.

Other places, such as Orange County, are collaborating more with sanitation districts, which are required to test ocean water as part of their license to discharge wastewater from sewage treatment plants.

And in San Diego County, which had to drop its monitoring program for half a year last winter, health officials have begun more frequent testing at pollution-prone coastlines, such as Torrey Pines State Beach.

Even with those assists, however, there is less information available for surfers and swimmers like Barry Gardner, a ninth-grade health teacher from Yorba Linda who takes half a dozen surf camping trips a year.

He's wary of spending too much time in dirty ocean water and avoids a section of Doheny State Beach known as "Dead Bird Cove" because of its supposed toxicity. But for the most part, he prefers to push his luck.

"If the surf is good, I'm going to go in the water," he said. "But if you don't know what's in it, it's tough."

tony.barboza@latimes.com

Times staff writer Doug Smith and data analyst Sandra Poindexter contributed to this report.

Lessons from a week in the Gulf. Water quality is unknown.

2010-08-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Check out Jim Moriarity's latest posting on his oceans, waves & beaches blog. He talks about his recent trip to the Gulf, concerns over water quality there, and the Emerald Coast Chapter's efforts to begin testing their beach water for dispersants and oil.

Lessons from a week in the Gulf. Water quality is unknown.

NRDC Testing the Waters 2010 featuring Hawaii

2010-08-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has just released their annual Testing the Waters report. Every year, NRDC presents all of the beach monitoring and closure data that each coastal state submits to the EPA Beach program. The 2010 report includes data from the previous year, 2009, and highlights the importance of green infrastructure as a natural solution to managing and preventing storm water runoff.

This year the report also provides coverage of current events at beaches in the Gulf. Tens of millions of gallons of oil have gushed into Gulf waters from the Deepwater Horizon well, and at the time of this writing, oil has washed up on beaches in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. NRDC is tracking oil spill-related beach closings, advisories, and notices at Gulf beaches

This online report is a great source of information on local beach monitoring programs. You can click on your state summary and find every beach that is tested arranged by county. It also lists who is doing the testing, what closures or advisories were issued the previous year, and how those management decisions are made. While some chapters have expressed frustration that this report can make a misleading impression that beach water quality in localized areas is better than it actually is, this is usually due to the way the states report their monitoring and closure data. The NRDC report does a good job on reporting on the data that is available but doesn't necessarily account for beach and other popular recreational areas that the state does not test.

With this aside, it is still a great resource, and many of our chapters have participated in the release of the Testing the Waters report and have used the opportunity to get some of their own local concerns and issues into the press. Check out the below press release from Hawaii posted on Surfline.

Surfrider & NRDC's Annual "Testing The Waters" Report & Hawaii Ranking

July 28, 2010

PRESS RELEASE

Pollution continues to contaminate the water at America's beaches, causing 2,352 closing and advisory days in Hawaii last year and 18,682 nationwide. Meanwhile, as of July 27, the oil disaster had already led to 2,239 days of beach closing, advisories, and notices in the Gulf region this year, according to the 20th annual beachwater quality report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

"Due to state budget cuts this year, the Department of Health's Clean Water Branch lost 4 of its 5 water quality monitors on Oahu this year," says Stuart Coleman, Surfrider's Hawaii Coordinator. "This is a big liability for Hawaii because we are so dependent on tourism, and we need to make sure our waters are monitored and protected from waterborne diseases. Pollution from sewage spills, injection wells and stormwater runoff can cause all kinds of illnesses. For instance, Maui has some of the highest rates of staph infection and MRSA in the country."

The good news is that Surfrider chapters across Hawaii host monthly beach cleanups and work with the Clean Water Branch to do water quality testing across the state. "But there is still a lot of work to do to educate people and policy makers about ways to keep our oceans clean and conserve water, while reducing sewage spills and stormwater runoff," Coleman continues. For more information, check out Surfrider's website www.KnowYourH2O.org and their free online video called "Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water," as well as their new www.Beachapedia.org website.

In its 20th year, NRDC's annual report - Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches - analyzes government data on beachwater testing results from 2009 at more than 3,000 beaches nationwide, and provides a 5-star rating chart for 200 of the nation's most popular beaches. The report confirms that last year, our nation's beachwater continued to suffer from serious contamination - including human and animal waste - and a concerted effort to control future pollution is required.

"From stomach-turning pathogens to dangerous oil slicks - America's beaches continue to suffer from pollution that can make people sick, harm marine life and destroy coastal economies," said NRDC Water Program Director David Beckman. "And as the disaster of unprecedented scale continues in the Gulf, we must clean up the mess, stop it from happening again, and make sure the communities bearing the brunt are not forgotten."

This year the report also includes a special section dedicated to oil-related beach closures, advisories, and notices in the Gulf region this summer. For the full report, go to www.nrdc.org/beaches.

HAWAII & NATIONAL FINDINGS

NRDC's report issued 5-star ratings for 200 of the most popular U.S. beaches, based on indicators of beachwater quality, monitoring frequency, and public notification of contamination. Beaches at Oahu's Hanauma Bay and Royal Hawaiian-Moana and Maui's Wailea Beach Park received a 4-star rating (out of 5). But beaches at Oahu's Kuliouou and Ke'ehi Lagoon and Kauai's Hanalei Beach Park rated only 2 stars.

This year's report found that 7 percent of beachwater samples nationwide in 2009 violated health standards, showing no improvement from the previous two years. In Hawaii, the percentage of health standard exceedances increased to 4% percent in 2009 from 2% percent in 2008. Hawaii ranks 5th in the nation for its beachwater quality testing.

Under the federal BEACH Act, states regularly test their beachwater for bacteria found in human and animal waste. These bacteria indicate the presence of pathogens. When beach managers determine that water contamination exceeds health standards - or in some cases when a state suspects levels would exceed standards, such as after heavy rain - they notify the public through beach closures or advisories. While the report found an overall 8 percent decrease in closing and advisory days at beaches nationwide from 2008, the change does not necessarily signal permanent improvement in beachwater quality. Rather, the overall decrease likely reflects decreased funding for water contamination monitoring in Southern California, as well as dry conditions in Hawaii and the four U.S. territories. In fact, many regions of the country actually saw sharp increases - including most of the East Coast and the entire Gulf Coast.

In Hawaii, Testing the Waters shows that the number of closing and advisory days decreased from 2008 to 2009. Most of the closing and advisory days were caused by stormwater runoff; so Hawaii saw a decrease in closing and advisory days because of a decrease in the amount of rain.

In 2009, stormwater runoff was the primary known source of pollution at beaches nationwide, consistent with past years. The report indicates polluted runoff continues to be a serious problem that has not been addressed. By using a wealth of available, smart water solutions on land - collectively called "green infrastructure" - we can naturally control and treat stormwater pollution, as well as prevent sewage overflows, to keep waste from reaching the beach. Green infrastructure refers to a variety of practices - such as green roofs, permeable pavement, roadside plantings and rain barrels - that stop rainwater where it falls and either store it for later use or allow it to soak back into the ground.

"Relying on dry weather to keep our beachwater clean is not a long-term public health protection strategy - when the rains return, so will the pollution," said Beckman. "Green infrastructure techniques on land can make a real difference in the water - and they're often the cheapest and most effective way to improve beachwater quality. From green roofs to permeable pavement and roadside plantings, there's a whole host of ways to not only prevent runoff pollution and sewage overflows from the start - but to beautify neighborhoods, boost economies and support American jobs at the same time."

Beachwater pollution nationwide causes a range of waterborne illnesses in swimmers including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear, nose and throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis, respiratory ailments, neurological disorders and other serious health problems. In fact, Maui has the highest rates of staph infection and MRSA in the country. For senior citizens, small children and people with weak immune systems, the results can be fatal. The incidence of infections has been steadily growing over the past several decades, and with coastal populations growing we can expect this upward trend to continue until the pollution sources are addressed.

"Sewage and runoff pollution in our beachwater is preventable," said Jon Devine, senior NRDC water attorney. "With investment in cost-effective, smarter water practices that are available today, communities can tackle the most common sources of pollution lurking in the waves."

OIL SPILL IMPACT ON GULF BEACHES:

As oil washes ashore, closures, advisories, and notices have been issued at many Gulf beaches - nearly 10 times as many closing and advisory days as were issued at these beaches for any reason by this time last year. So far this year, there have been a total of 2,239 beach closing, advisories, and notices in the Gulf region as a result of the oil disaster. Analysis of only those Gulf beaches that are regularly tested for water quality reveals a total of 1,972 days of closings, advisories, and notices related to the oil spill, compared to 237 closing and advisory days at those beaches this time last year for any reason.

Although Hawaii was not affected by the oil spill in the Gulf, our state is still 90% dependent on imported oil and vulnerable to spills like the Exxon Valdez incident. "In fact, in 1977, an oil tanker named the Hawaiian Patriot reported a crack in her hull, and approximately 18,000 tons of oil leaked into the sea 300 miles away from Hawaii, before the ship blew up and sank," Coleman says.

NRDC is maintaining a frequently updated map of current oil spill beach closures, advisories, and notices, which can be accessed here: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/gulfspill/beaches.asp.

The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has caused tremendous damage not only to the environment and communities of the region, but also their economies. This includes the lucrative tourism and recreation industries in Gulf states, which generated a combined $26.5 billion in 2004 alone. Likewise, if a spill were to happen off of Hawaii, tourism and our economy would be devastated.

A disaster like this should never happen again. Measures should be taken to help mitigate the damage from this spill and avoid future spills, including permanently stopping the leak, suspending all new offshore drilling activity until we find out what happened, and moving to clean energy sources that can't spill or run out. Additionally, BP must be forced pay for the cleanup and costs in full - including fully compensating coastal communities for the damage to their economies.

TESTING THE WATERS, 20th EDITION - A LOOK BACK:

Since NRDC released its first Testing the Waters report, there have been significant improvements in beachwater testing and reporting. Due in large part to NRDC advocacy, nearly 3,000 coastal beaches, representing beaches in all 30 coastal states, are now monitoring at least weekly, if not more.

Twenty years ago, water quality monitoring records were not necessarily kept, even for states that conducted monitoring. Today, detailed information about beachwater quality is in most cases available online. States are also now applying more consistent water quality standards to beach closure and advisory decisions, and they are tying beach status more clearly to bacteria levels - a shift that provides better protection of public health.

SOLUTIONS:

There are several things the government and citizens can do to create healthier summers at the beach:

* Boosting green infrastructure in coastal communities can prevent stormwater runoff and sewage overflows from the start. These solutions not only clean up waterways, they literally green communities, cool and cleanse the air, reduce asthma and heat-related illnesses, save on heating and cooling energy costs, and generate landscaping and construction jobs. A bill recently introduced in Congress, the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act (H.R. 4202/S. 3561), aims to make green infrastructure and low impact development techniques a national priority.

* Simple steps in your everyday life can also make a difference in reducing beachwater pollution. This includes conserving water, redirecting drainage pipes toward gardens or vegetation, maintaining septic systems, and properly disposing of animal waste, litter, toxic household products, and used motor oil.

* Better testing and identification of contamination sources can help protect public health and address the causes. The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act (H.R. 2093/S. 878), pending in Congress would enable better identification of pollution sources - which are often not investigated and therefore unknown - so they can be addressed. The bill would also require EPA to adopt faster testing methods to enable officials to issue prompter closings and advisories in the event of contamination. This would allow people to find out if it's safe to swim before they get in, not after - as is often the case today with slower testing methods.

* By cutting global warming pollution we can help avoid greater beachwater pollution in the future. The U.S. House of Representatives has already approved, and we now look to the Senate to pass, climate and clean energy legislation that would do just that, as well as help us transition to clean energy, and create millions of jobs at the same time. Since global warming is expected to increase pathogens in the water and stormwater runoff - as a result of increased floods and storms - passing legislation to minimize these impacts can help avoid beach pollution.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

* For the full report, go to: http://www.nrdc.org/beaches.

* For a regularly updated map of Gulf beach closures due to oil, go to: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/gulfspill/beaches.asp.

* For tips for a safe trip to the beach this summer, go to: http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/gttw.asp.

* For info about ways to get involved, go to: http://www.surfrider.org/ or www.surfrider.org/oahu.

* For Broadcast-quality footage of solutions for cleaner beachwater, go here: http://vimeo.com/album/262783.*

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.3 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Livingston, MT, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing.

The Surfrider Foundation is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research and education (CARE). Founded in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has over 50,000 members and more than 80 chapters across the country. Surfrider has four chapters in Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Kona) that hold monthly beach cleanups and meetings. Our members work to preserve clean water and beach access and promote responsible shoreline development and a reduction of single-use plastics and marine debris. For more info, go to www.surfrider.org/oahu.

Working Towards Solutions in Cannon Beach, Oregon

2010-07-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
Beachgoers wade or float back and forth across Ecola Creek in Cannon Beach. This year 11 Clatsop and Tillamook County beaches are being monitored for enterococcus, bacteria present in animal and human waste. More photos on the Web at www.dailyastorian.com

ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian
Bathing seagulls freshen up near the beach in the waters of Ecola Creek Wednesday. Mark See, the Cannon Beach public works director, says DNA tests by the city indicate gulls are the main polluters of streams running over the beach.

Water monitoring comes ashore
Summer means it’s time to begin tracking beaches for contamination

By NANCY MCCARTHY
The Daily Astorian

CANNON BEACH - Two health advisories issued for beaches in or near Cannon Beach this summer signal that the beach-monitoring season is under way.

This year, 25 of the state's 94 beaches are being monitored weekly, every two weeks or monthly for enterococcus, bacteria that is present in animal and human waste. It also indicates the presence of other bacteria.

Bacteria can enter the ocean, creeks, rivers and outflows from a variety of sources, including stormwater runoff, animal and seabird waste, failing septic systems, spills from sewage treatment plants or discharges from boats.

Of the 25 beaches slated for routine monitoring, 11 are in Clatsop and Tillamook counties.

While most of the beaches usually don't show high enough counts of bacteria to rate an advisory, the Ecola Court outflow pipe in midtown Cannon Beach garnered 12 advisories after 26 tests last year.

This year, so far, the percentage of good tests over bad is better: It failed only once - during April - in nine tests.

"Over the past few months, we've seen water quality at Ecola Court outfall improve," said Charlie Plybon, Oregon Field Manager for Surfrider Foundation. The foundation monitors water quality on beaches and has been critical of Cannon Beach's efforts to address the outfall area. Recently, however, the city and the foundation began working together to develop solutions.

But, Plybon added, "The area is still of concern until we can demonstrate this 'improved' water quality over time, and beachgoers are safe from advisories." Advisories are issued when more than 158 organisms of bacteria per 100 milliliters of water are found in the samples. The bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses.

State health officials warn people to avoid wading in creeks that have advisories and to stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean.

On April 5, the monitor for the state's testing system found 579 organisms at the outfall site. Two subsequent tests - on April 19 and May 3 - indicated the presence of organisms was significantly reduced, and state officials lifted the advisory.

The Hug Point advisory, issued June 29, was the first in nearly three years, when an advisory was posted for the south end of the cove on July 30, 2007. The advisory was lifted a week later.

Tolovana State Park hadn't been tested since Oct. 29, 2007, and at that time no organisms were detected. This year, however, an advisory was issued June 2 and lifted on June 9. A subsequent test on June 14 could not detect bacteria.

"Tolovana Park has been a relatively clean area over the years and it fell off the radar of the state's monitoring program for this reason," Plybon said.

The state took a sample from the area following a request from Surfrider, he said.

"In all honesty, that doesn't really tell us much other than we need to test more," Plybon added.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has required 35 coastal and Great Lakes states and territories to monitor beaches since 2000. But because the $230,000 EPA grant isn't enough to cover all of Oregon's 94 recreational beaches, monitoring is done on the top 25 that have a high use, a history of pollution or are near potential pollution sources, said Jennifer Ketterman, Oregon beach program coordinator.

The state has learned that each beach has its own character and personality, Ketterman said. "What we find on the South Coast is different than what we find on the North Coast," she said.

Where the monitor collects the water sample depends on the size of the beach and whether one particular area has a history of a high bacteria count, Ketterman said. The Ecola Court outfall, for instance, has a history of higher-than-normal bacteria counts, so samples are taken at the pipe as water flows out and in the stream as it empties into the ocean. Monitors are particularly concerned about pipes that flow on the beach "because people are getting more water contact," she said.

Although the state receives funds to test the water, it doesn't have the money to investigate the source of bacteria when the tests fail.

"There are a variety of sources near the shore or inland," Ketterman said. "They could come from animals, seabirds, diapers, agricultural products, sewage treatment plants, septic tanks, boat disposals. It's a pretty complex process."

The problem is even more complex, she added, because the presence of bacteria can fluctuate wildly. "You can collect data one minute and it will be different the next minute," Ketterman said. That has been a frustration experienced by Mark See, Cannon Beach public works director. Because it takes time to get a test result the city isn't notified until the next day that a problem exists, he said. "We're getting a warning today about the tests yesterday.... We need real-time testing for a real-time warning." Cannon Beach is tested every Monday during the summer. If the test fails, more samples are taken on Wednesday and confirmed on Thursday. The public is notified on Friday.

"There's a real flaw in the testing program," See said.

Eventually, he said, "real-time" testing will be available so city officials and the public will know instantly that bacterium is in the water.

Recent DNA tests performed by the city indicate gulls are the main polluters to the streams on the beach, See said. He intends to send samples to an Oregon State University lab to confirm the source whenever Cannon Beach tests high. This will rule out other sources, such as a misconnected sewer line or illegal dumping.

See also hopes that, eventually, the city and Surfrider can take over testing Cannon Beach's water from the state so money will be freed up to test other coastal sites.

"My vision is that we want the Department of Human Services to do lots of testing for everyone if we agree to do our own testing," See said. The city's testing would be checked against Surfrider's tests for accuracy.

But, while the city can continue to monitor the water and take steps to remedy some pollution source, the public needs to get involved, too, See said.

The city's public works committee is drafting educational pamphlets, which will be distributed to local hotels and businesses. The pamphlets will discuss why water is tested, the risks of contacting untreated water and other facts involving water tests.

"When you do a lot of test sites in one place like Cannon Beach and one pops up bad and an advisory is issued, it sounds like there's an advisory for all of Cannon Beach," See said. "It affects business. The chamber of commerce has gotten involved, so we have a balance of all concerned parties."

The public works committee may also ask the City Council to prohibit people from feeding birds and other wild animals. The animals become used to the feeding and stay close to public areas, See said. Instead, they should be discouraged from roosting on roofs.

"You always see gulls on the roof tops and parking lots of the Surfsand, the Wayfarer and the American Legion building," he said. When they leave their waste on the roofs or asphalt and a summer rain occurs, "there's just enough rain to put a slurry of seagull poop into the drainage system."

Those buildings are also close to the stream that runs from the Ecola Court outfall, across the beach and to the ocean.

Other solutions may be found as well. Roof drains may be disconnected from the city's drainage system and put into "drainage swales" where the water is filtered through natural vegetation before being directed into the city's drainage pipes, See said. But drainage swales take up space, which is scarce in developed areas near the beach.

But See will experiment with another "pre-treatment" method when the restrooms on Second and Spruce streets are reconstructed later this year. He plans to build a "rain garden" that, much like the drainage swale, will act to filter out pollution from the building's roof before it goes into the city's system.

Although the contamination can be reduced, it will never be eliminated, See said.

"The truth is, there's fresh water everywhere. And there's still some chance that bacteria will get into that fresh water."

Surfrider Testing Florida Beaches for Chemical Dispersants

2010-07-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Tony D'eramo, Emerald Coast Surfrider board member and marine biologist

takes water samples on July 10. Photo courtesy Michael Sturdivant

As a component of the Not the Answer Campaign, The Emerald Coast Chapter of Surfrider Foundation has begun its "on the ground" efforts to test their local Gulf beach waters in Florida for oil and dispersants being used to 'clean up the oil'. They have adapted the Blue Water Taskforce Program to specifically address the oil spill disaster. They are starting to test for dispersants because no other agency or organization in Florida is testing for these chemicals. It is thanks to the diligence of the Emerald Coast Chapter that the agencies have at least stepped up their testing for oil at some beaches, but this data is not being shared with the public.

The lack of information being shared with the public is a major health risk to both residents and tourists as tar balls wash up on these shores daily. On Sunday there was a sheen in the waters as far east as Miramar Beach (Walton County) and multiple reports of health concerns, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, skin and eye irritations due to people entering the water. The Suncoast Chapter (St. Pete/Sarasota) and other FL chapters will likely be following suite if the underwater plumes sync with the loop current and make their way east.

To learn more go to the Chapter's website or check out the story that ran in their local paper.

Ocean Friendly Gardens in Los Angeles

2010-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Promoting and installingOcean Friendly Gardens in your community is a great way to make a positive impact on water quality in your watershed and at your beach. This program dove tails nicely with beach water testing programs. Check out the local media being generated by the West LA/Malibu Chapter'sOcean Friendly Gardens program or the new OFG Blog.

Surfrider workshop to show gardeners how to reduce pollution flowing to ocean

July 7, 2010 | 7:44 am

I stopped putting manure on my lawn after reading L.A. at Home columnist Emily Green's review of Douglas Kent's book "Ocean Friendly Gardens." Wrote Green: "This book strives to keep the things that we may apply to our yards where they belong and out of the ocean. Above all, it strives to protect the wild environment that drew so many of us to California in the first place."

You can learn more about preventing garden pollution from reaching the ocean at the Surfrider Foundation's hands-on workshop on Sunday. Presented as part of Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens program, the class will cover site evaluation and the principles of CPR -- conservation, permeability and retention, all methods that will help prevent urban runoff.

The class also comes with a wonderful perk: Participants have the option of using the Surfrider Garden Assistance Program at a later date. This means that once you have developed a plan, Surfrider volunteers will help to tear out your yard and replant it in just one day. The catch? You have to be willing to help someone else with a garden face-lift in return.

"Attendees have to provide a plan, materials, plants and food, and we show up with volunteers," says Celeste Howe, chairwoman of the Surfrider Foundation West L.A./Malibu Chapter's Ocean Friendly Gardens program. Howe says that the sidewalk strip shown at right took about six hours to transform. They started around 9 or 10 a.m., and by 4 p.m. they had taken out turf, installed plants, added layers of compost and mulch, and applied compost tea.

The Green Gardens Group will lead the Sunday class, which will include a tour of a Westchester yard. The class runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost: $25. Registration:oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or (310) 694-8351.

-- Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times

Photo credits, from top: Angie Johnson; Celeste Howe

New Rapid Methods in OC

2010-07-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Water Quality Kiosk on display at Orange County Beaches, photo: OCRegister

There has been some recent media attention paid to a new, rapid water testing and notification system that is being implemented at beaches in Orange County, CA this summer.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-beach-testing-20100619,0,6214475.story

http://www.dailybreeze.com/latestnews/ci_15336061

http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-255495-water-orange.html

We've had some questions regarding how Surfrider chapters and activists might be able to get this new system employed at their own local beaches, as it gets water quality information to the public much faster than at most beaches in this country. This new beach monitoring system is part of a demonstration project run by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP). Surfrider has been a stakeholder and regular participant in meetings of the Beach Water Quality Workgroup of SCCWRP via Rick Wilson, for about 10 years. Part of the emphasis at SCCWRP for the last several years has been to encourage development, implementation and approval of test methods that are both faster and more accurate predictors of health problems than the current methods.

Should we start seeing these new systems pop up at other beaches soon? Not yet. Orange County and SCCWRP are way ahead of most of the nation in developing these rapid methods. Not only do these methods require a lot of capital do get a lab set up ( we are talking 50k plus), they also require a much higher degree of training on very specific genetic lab methods, that at this point, are not practical for volunteers or even many staff at the state and local health and enviro agencies that conduct beach monitoring programs.

Is this the way of the future? Most likely, but we aren't there yet. EPA has not approved these methods for use yet. EPA does not currently allow federal BEACH Act grant monies to be spent using these new methods. These federal dollars are in some locations are the sole or major source of funding for beach monitoring programs, so we are not at the point where we should be demanding our local authorities to be implementing these new technologies.

What can Surfrider activists do????

Plug into the action alert directed to the Senate to pass the latest version of the Beach Bill, which amongst other things, requires the EPA to approve new rapid testing methods.

There is a previous post on this blog that describes the history of the beach bill, what the new bill is proposing (including rapid methods) and its current status in Congress. This brief post, gives enough good info on this bill for a chapter to dive into this campaign. Quality and timely information on the status of our beach water is relevant everywhere. It is core to what we do.

Meanwhile, while Congress takes its time to reauthorize the BEACH Act, the EPA has been working on revising their water quality standards and approved testing methods as a result of a lawsuit NRDC filed a few years back. Revised water quality criteria and methods are due in the fall of 2012. I will post on EPA's progress towards this end soon.

Contact Mara Dias, mdias@surfrider.org to discuss your chapter getting more involved with the Beach Act campaign or improving local beach monitoring programs.

Schools Out!

2010-06-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

As school lets out for the summer, many of the BWTF water testing programs that are based in high schools also take a break. Both the West LA/Malibu and the South Bay Chapters recently held year-end events to celebrate another successful year of beach water testing. These events serve as a means to reward the students' participation, raise awareness in the community of their program and local water quality issues, and provide a venue for the students to present their water quality data. The West LA/Malibu BWTF program includes students at Santa Monica High School. The South Bay Chapter reaches students at El Segundo, Mira Costa, Redondo Union, South and Westchester High Schools through the SEA Lab at Redondo Beach. Congratulations to all the students!

Source Tracking Guide Just Released!

2010-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Maine Healthy Beaches Program has just released the Municipal Guide to Clean Water: Conducting Sanitary Surveys to Improve Coastal Water Quality

This resource is focused on finding, fixing and preventing sources of fecal bacteria contamination in low density, coastal watersheds. Elements of this guide will also be useful for freshwater beaches and urban watersheds. While this guide was design with local government and agency staff in mind, most covered topics will also be relevant for volunteer groups. Just beware that some areas – such as directions on how to inspect private residences- are not appropriate for volunteers.

In addition to covering how to identify bacteria hot spots and track sources in a watershed, this guide also includes excellent overviews of many water testing issues including: indicator bacteria, sources of pollution, source tracking methods, waste disposal systems, stormwater issues, solutions and best management practices.

Whether you are looking to investigate a local water pollution issue yourself or want to learn more about what you should be asking your local authorities to do, this guide is a great resource! Or use it as an educational tool for students or new volunteers. It has great photos of many of the steps involved in water testing.

Pictured above is Sarah Mosley, Maine Healthy Beaches Water Quality Testing trainer, and Northern New England Chapter member. Sarah, along with Keri Lindberg, are responsible for training all the volunteers that collect samples for the Maine Healthy Beaches program, including a team of NNE Chapter volunteers. More info on NNE Chapter's water testing program is available on their website.

Leaking Septic Systems Implicated in Bellingham, WA

2010-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Northwest Straits Chapter's BWTF tests between 5-8 sites throughout the year. During the summer of 2009, they discovered a spike in fecal coliforms in a water sample collected from Larrabee State Park (pictured above & below). The chapter alerted the local authorities to the suspected pollution. The Washington State Department of Ecology’s BEACH Program and Whatcom County Department of Health, responded to the chapter’s concern by performing a source tracking study, which led to the discovery of a failing septic system in the nearby neighborhood. Since then, the septic system has been repaired and bacteria levels at Larrabee State Park have returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the Chapter’s efforts towards sharing their data and forming good relationships with their local environmental and health agencies, may bear even more fruit as another source of pollution is tracked down. The Department of Ecology is tracing the source of another event of high bacterial pollution after being alerted by the Chapter that their Nooksack River Delta sites have been testing high as well. Although not confirmed as of yet, another leaking septic system is suspected.

Thanks to the Chapter volunteers for continuously testing the sites around Bellingham, sometimes covering 30+ miles by bicycle to do so in a "green" manner. Thanks also goes out to Post Point for sharing their laboratory space with the Chapter. Read more about the Chapter's BWTF program here.

A new BWTF program begins tackling pollution in Seattle

2010-06-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation recently relaunched their BWTF program. Dr. J. Scott Meschke, PhD, MS, JD, Assistant Professor in the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences is assisting the chapter with their water testing program. Dr. Meschke has provided the Blue Water Task Force with the use of lab space and training in lab procedures. Chapter volunteers are collecting and running their own water samples, as well as collecting sand samples from the intertidal zone for research on the retention of MRSA and other pathogens in the environment that Dr. Meschke’s and Dr. Marilyn Roberts are undertaking. The Chapter started sampling freshwater sites at the end of 2009 and have added some marine beaches to their sampling program this spring. They are now currently monitoring nine sites, including beaches, streams, and marinas. Their most recent water quality data are posted online.

For the past 3 months, one of their sampling sites, a fresh water stream that runs through Golden Gardens Park, has been testing extremely high for bacteria, well above state standards. This is very concerning as this site is a very popular stream for children to play in. The chapter contacted the King County's Department of Health to alert them to the problem. They sent their results as well as a picture of kids playing in the stream less than 48 hours after the most recent high result. The Department of Health took the Chapter’s concerns seriously and will begin notifying the public of the danger that this polluted water can pose to bathers. The chapter is working with the City to develop streamside signage that will educate the public about the pollution and hopefully deter families from playing in the stream. The Chapter has also received great coverage on this issue by local news reporters. Check out these links.

Public notification is just the first step. The chapter is now pursuing funding options to do a source identification study. Possible pollution sources to the Golden Gardens Park include a dog park directly upstream or one of the other streams that feed into this stream from Seattle. Congratulations to the Seattle Chapter for forming good partnerships with both the University of Washington to get their water testing program off the ground and running and with the King County Department of Health to raise public awareness and look for solutions for their local water quality problems. Thanks also goes out to all the volunteers that donate their time and expertise to collect samples and help out in the lab.

Stream at Golden Gardens Park, Washington

Public Notification of Water Quality Results

2010-06-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

The below article discusses the inconsistencies in public notification of beach monitoring results between three counties in New Jersey. There are similar inconsistencies nationwide, with some states posting or closing a beach after one bad (high bacteria) sample, and others only taking action after a second bad sample – often 2-3 days after the original sample. In California, although beaches are posted with health advisories after one bad sample, beaches are only closed if there is evidence of a sewer spill, regardless of the bacteria level. Other states, including New Jersey (except Monmouth County) and Florida only take action after a second sample. That action also varies by state – closure in NJ, an advisory in FL.

Water quality monitoring a top priority as rain gives way to clearing at beaches

Monmouth to post advisory if first test shows pollution; Ocean won't do same

By TODD B. BATES • ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER • June 2, 2010

It's a near picture-perfect day as the crew aboard the single-prop Cessna airplane looked for trouble in the

ocean below.

Outfitted with a light-based sensor to detect algae, which can cloud the water and lead to fish kills, the plane

gently cruises over the surf off Monmouth County.

As the plane flies past Manasquan Inlet, Virginia Loftin, a state research scientist, spots some floating trash

near the southern end.

"I don't know where that might have come from,'' said Loftin, a longtime state Department of Environmental

Protection staffer who oversees the state-county-local beach water monitoring program. "There's always

the possibility that some boater dumped his garbage.''

In some areas along the coast, the water looks foamy or brownish, perhaps from algae or churned up

sediment.

Overall, Loftin said the water "looks OK.''

With the 2010 beach season arriving this weekend, officials are monitoring the waters and hope oil from the BP

spill in the Gulf of Mexico doesn't spoil the summer.

There's a slight chance that oil could appear, probably in the form of tar balls, according to experts.

Meanwhile, both environmental activists and officials say beach-water quality in general depends on the

weather, with rainfall boosting pollution from runoff.

Again this year, Monmouth County will take the extra precaution of posting warning signs at beaches at

the first hint of pollution. But officials in Ocean and Cape May counties don't plan to follow Monmouth's lead.

Instead, they will follow state rules that call for two tests over 48 hours before action is taken. In short, this

means unwary swimmers risk exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses that can make them sick.

The most common illness from polluted waters is gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and

intestines that can cause vomiting, headaches and fever. Other minor illnesses include ear, eye, nose and

throat infections.

Martin Connie, principal registered environmental health specialist in the Atlantic City Health Department, said

he likes the idea of posting an advisory sign after one high count, and it would be considered.

Patricia Diamond, health officer in the Atlantic County Division of Public Health, said the oceanfront area

covered by the division has never gotten a second high bacteria count. But the division would ban bathing at a

beach after one high count if it believes there is a pollution problem, according to Diamond.

Late last summer, officials in Monmouth County began posting their own advisory signs at beaches after an

initial test showed high levels of fecal bacteria, indicators of potentially harmful pollution, in the water.

"That's, of course, what we've been calling for for years, and it's nice to see that it's finally happening,'' said

John Weber of Bradley Beach, a surfer and northeast regional manager for the Surfrider

Foundation, a nonprofit environmental group. "It's definitely more protective of the public health.''

William Simmons, environmental health coordinator in the Monmouth County Health Department, said the

four health agencies in the county that began posting signs last summer "got nothing but positive feedback from

the public.''

Activists want state officials to better protect beachgoers from polluted water and increase monitoring. Officials say

they're working on amendments to state rules and looking into additional monitoring.

In Monmouth County last year, officials closed various beaches to swimming a total of 114 times,

according to the DEP. If, for example, five beaches were closed just for a day, that would count as five lost

beach days.

Nearly all of the swimming bans … 108 … were precautionary after rainfall at four beaches near the ocean outfall from polluted Wreck Pond in Spring Lake and Sea Girt.

In Ocean County, no ocean beaches had to be closed to swimming due tobacteria.

But a beach in Long Beach Township was closed for three days as a precaution after a pleasure boat sank,

releasing debris, according to the DEP. And an Island Beach State Park beach was closed for a day as a precaution

after an unarmed torpedo washed up.

Some of the many bay beaches in Monmouth and Ocean counties were closed for a day a total 56 times last

year, largely because of high bacteria levels or as a precaution following rain.

Beachwater testing

Under the state-coordinated Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program, county and local health

officials take ocean, bay and tidal river samples on Mondays and results come back the next day.

If levels of fecal enterococci bacteria hit more than 104 per 100 milliliters of water at a beach, officials take more

samples and results come back in 24 hours. If bacteria levels remain high, officials close the beach to swimming

until counts drop.Last year, four health agencies in Monmouth County asked the state Department of Health and Senior

Services to amend its rules covering beachwater testing to allow officials to post advisory signs warning of pollution.

The agencies include the county health department, Monmouth County Regional Health Commission No. 1 and the Long Branch and Middletown health departments.

Agency officials thought a 48-hour wait to close a beach was too long, said Simmons, of the county health

department.

In July, the DEP said state health department rules do not prohibit local health agencies from posting

advisories at bathing beaches.

Loftin, the DEP research scientist, said it's up to county and local health departments to decide whether to post

advisory signs. But the DEP supports health agencies that choose to do so, she said.

In Ocean County, however, officials do not plan to post advisories at beaches after getting initial high

counts of bacteria, said Leslie Terjesen, county health department spokeswoman.

"We follow the (state) code,'' she said. "We don't close the beaches. The municipalities close the beaches'' after

two days of high counts.

Meanwhile, the state health department has "not yet offered local health departments any guidance on

the upcoming beach season but plan to do so before the season begins,'' according to spokeswoman MarilynRiley.

As of last week, the department had not issued any guidance.

The department's goal is to propose rule amendments by late summer or early fall, she said in an email.

Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, a Sandy Hook-based environmental coalition, said "The

program we have right now is woefully inadequate. The old rules can literally make you sick because.... They're not

providing full information in a timely manner.''

This story originally published First

In Print in the May 30, 2010 edition

of The Sunday Press.

Todd B. Bates: 732-643-4237;

tbates@app.com; www.twitter.

com/ToddBBatesAPP

Advances in Beach Monitoring

2010-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Beach bacteria battle goes high-tech

Chicagoland effort to keep water safe hits digital age

Jehreal Webster pours water into an oasis in the sand as his daughter Jahnahn , 3, plays at the 57th Street Beach. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago

By Joel Hood, TRIBUNE REPORTER

10:38 a.m. CDT, May 28, 2010

Chicago Tribune

So much for the old warning flag on a stick.

Confronting an almost unwinnable battle against E. coli and other bacteria on public beaches, Chicago and some of its suburbs have taken the fight into the digital age.

From computer models that can predict conditions where bacteria will thrive, to swimming alerts and beach closures sent out via Twitter, Facebook and text message, officials have adopted high-tech strategies to better inform beachgoers of unhealthy conditions.

"That's how people live now," said Cathy Breitenbach, manager of the Chicago Park District's Office of Green Initiatives. "People have an expectation today to get information quickly and in multiple ways. We're doing our best to meet that expectation."

As thousands across Chicago and the suburbs hit the beach this Memorial Day weekend, health officials warn of the dangers lurking out of sight.

The popular beaches that line the lakefront in Chicago and communities to the north have long been a melting pot for E. coli and other harmful bacteria. Stormwater runoff, pet waste, bird droppings and urban trash contribute to microscopic mountains of filth that can lead to sore throats, stomachaches and all kinds of ailments.

The number of swimming bans has increased in recent years, officials say, likely due to more frequent testing for bacteria than an actual drop-off in water quality. Twice a day, researchers walk the city's 31 beaches collecting water samples in small plastic tubes and sending them to a lab for analysis.

The trouble with that method of water sampling is that results aren't known until the next day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Geological Survey are pioneering research off Chicago's beaches, using DNA analysis to test for bacteria, that will one day shorten the lab work to a couple of hours, allowing for almost instantaneous water monitoring, said Richard Whitman, a USGS ecologist.

"The results we've been living with are yesterday's numbers, and that's not always good enough," Whitman said. "We know water conditions can change pretty quickly."

This month, Whitman and other scientists dumped red dye into the water a half-mile off 63rd Street Beach, one of the most problematic waterfronts in the city, to track the speed and direction of lake currents in the hopes of better understanding how bacteria builds up along the shoreline.

Thanks to EPA funding, the scientists have developed computer models that can calculate weather data, wave height, wind direction, rainfall and other measurements to project when and where bacteria counts will rise to unsafe levels.

This software, launched in Lake County in 2005, has revolutionized beach research. Instead of having to wait 18 or 20 hours to issue a swimming alert to beachgoers, predictive modeling can anticipate unsafe swimming conditions.

"It's keeping people out of the water when they should be, and not a day after the testing is done," said Mike Adam, a senior biologist for Lake County, which oversees 15 public beaches along the lakefront and several dozen inland beaches. "E. coli levels can change dramatically just between morning and afternoon tests. Imagine how much they change a day later."

Officials in Chicago and Evanston are now compiling data that will enable them to use predictive modeling in a year or two. It is a step toward the ultimate goal of being able to predict high bacteria levels days in advance, Whitman said.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to know on Friday what the water conditions will be like at your favorite beach on Saturday or Sunday?" Whitman asked. "That's where we want to be."

Until that day arrives, the best defense of our beaches involves a mix of high- and low-tech solutions, Breitenbach said.

Last year the Chicago Park District debuted a specially crafted titanium rake with four-inch teeth capable of turning over deeper layers of sand, reducing bacteria by exposing it to UV light and oxygen. Think of it as a sand Zamboni that refreshes Chicago's beaches each morning.

This spring, the Chicago Park District board unanimously passed an ordinance banning the feeding of birds and wildlife along city beaches. The ordinance is designed to reduce the number of gulls, particularly the most common ring-billed gulls, that congregate and defecate on the sand, Breitenbach said.

And once again this summer, the park district plans to station rescued border collies and their handlers on a few of the city's beaches to disrupt gulls when they try to land. The dogs have proven to be a simple, effective and popular answer to the bird problem, Breitenbach said, and is about as low-tech as it gets.

"They stay in the open areas and try to prevent birds from landing and loafing," Breitenbach said.

The time-honored practice of flying brightly colored flags on the beach, to warn swimmers of dangerous water, has not yet gone the way of the typewriter. Flags will still fly this summer, officials said, but park district two years ago set out to modernize how it reached the public.

District officials set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account, @chicagoparks. In addition to the automated phone line (312-742-3224) that for years has offered recorded messages about beach conditions, this spring the district plans to send swim-ban notifications via text message.

As scientists learn more about the relationship between waterborne bacteria and public health, getting out the information as quickly as possible becomes the next great challenge, Breitenbach said.

"We've made this a commitment because we know it's a public service," she said. "These beaches are meant for all to enjoy."

Rise Above Plastics: Minimizing Disposables

2010-05-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Many Blue Water Task Force volunteers have expressed concerns over the amount of plastic disposables used and discarded while collecting and analyzing water samples. Single use plastics are used to maintain a sterile environment and to avoid contamination of water samples. As our chapter water testing programs have become more established, accrue more experience and resources, and form valuable partnerships with other laboratories, many have chosen to cut back on the number of plastic disposables by sterilizing glassware in an autoclave instead. Although glassware is initially more expensive than plastic supplies, it is well worth the investment if your chapter has an established testing program, enough funds and space to set-up an autoclave (or one you can borrow). Read more about reducing your water testing program's plastic footprint and making the transition to re-usable glassware below.

1) Autoclave

An autoclave is used to sterilize equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure steam at 121 °C or more. Autoclaves are widely used in microbiology, tattooing, body piercing, medicine and dentistry. Autoclaves can range anywhere from the size of a large refrigerator to a big cooking pot.

There are two types of small autoclaves available (about the size of a microwave oven). Steam autoclaves work like a pressure cooker, they are inexpensive (approximately $500) but they can be a bit dangerous and time intensive to run. They shouldn’t by used by children because of the risk of getting burned by the steam, and someone needs to constantly monitor the autoclave for the 1-2 hours it takes to run to make sure the heat levels stay in the appropriate temperature range. The other option is a dry autoclave, which you are able to set up and leave unattended. When you need the glassware next it will be sterile and dry. These are more expensive; roughly $2,500 - $3,000 for a small model that can accommodate the glassware used by our labs. Dry autoclaves, however, are much safer to use and are therefore recommended for BWTF labs.

With a little bit of detective work, however, your chapter might be able to find a good dry autoclave that you can borrow without having to buy one yourselves. Contact any university, state or federal laboratories that might be in your area to see if they have any old models they could donate to your program. These labs often upgrade their equipment and are left with older models stockpiled. Sometimes high school science teachers have autoclaves packed away in their closets collecting dust and don't even know they are there. So check around with science teacher friends, environmental and microbiology labs, even tattoo parlors, you never know where you might find one. Local labs may also be willing to autoclave your glassware if you set up a regular schedule with them.

2) Glassware

You can purchase glass collection and mixing vessels, pipettes and test tubes (if using the multiple test-tube method) to replace their plastic disposable counterparts. There are autoclavable plastic vessels available that can be reused, but our labs have found that glassware stands up better over time.

Some products that we recommend are 125 ml graduated sample bottles, which can be used to both collect samples and mix with reagant and glass pipettes.

3) Accessories

You will need some tin foil and autoclave indicator tape to verify that your glass ware is sterile coming out of the autoclave. You should also store your sterile equipment by sealing the autoclave tape along tin foil wrapped glassware or plastic. This seal will keep fingers, dust, and other possible contaminants away from sterile products. Indicator tape varies with the type of autoclave you are using, some different options are available here.

You may also want to purchase an autoclave bin to hold your glass pipettes in the autoclave during sterilization.

Please contact Mara Dias at mdias@surfrider.org with any questions about autoclaves and glassware or to purchase any of the above items. Many of these items can be purchased by Surfrider for less than the prices posted on the internet.

Extended Beach Season in New Hampshire

2010-05-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Back to the beach

Written by Chloe Johnson

Thursday, 06 May 2010

NH Surfrider kicks off the summer season with a benefit party and beach cleanup.

For most people on the Seacoast, the beach season is just beginning. But for some surfers, it never ends.

That’s one reason the New Hampshire Surfrider Foundation extended water quality testing to the colder months shortly after becoming an official chapter of the national organization a few years ago. The state’s Department of Environmental Services only monitors coastal waters for swimming during the summer.

Preston Curtis, president of the local Surfrider chapter, has been surfing for several years. “I like it just as much in the winter as in the summer,” he said.
An Environmental Protection Agency grant helped cover training, equipment and lab fees for water testing. Volunteers sample eight popular surf spots in the fall and spring to make sure the water is safe.

Despite this achievement, a Surfrider volunteer’s work is never done. Like the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation in Portsmouth, the organization holds monthly beach cleanups with the community, and Curtis said the need is not going away. Without these stewards of the beach, he said, the sand would be covered in trash.

“People will always litter and people will always clean it up,” he said. But it’s never the same people. “We shouldn’t have to do it.”

Curtis blames ignorant and inconsiderate beachgoers for the trash, but he said he hopes to lead be example. “We know better,” he said.

Surfrider is a grassroots, non-profit, environmental organization dedicated to the protection and stewardship of area waterways in a global ocean context. It is not just for surfers, but for anyone who cares about the beach. There are about 150 diverse members in the state, Curtis said.

The summer season starts with a kickoff weekend that includes a benefit party at the Portsmouth Gas Light on Friday, May 7, a booth at the Portsmouth Sustainability Fair on Saturday, May 8, and a beach cleanup in Seabrook on Sunday, May 9.

The third annual fundraiser party begins with live music by Kings Highway, a local band with Dave Cropper from Cinnamon Rainbows. There will also be a DJ, surf videos, and a raffle of more than $1,000 worth of gear and gift cards. Prizes include donations of surfboards, wetsuits, massage packages, ski passes and more from sponsors.

The event will be held upstairs in the 21-plus nightclub space. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door.

Proceeds from this year’s event will go to support NH Surfrider, the Molly Rowlee Foundation for cancer research and the Linda Jo Fund, which raises money to support free surf lessons for underprivileged children.

The first beach cleanup in the NH Surfrider summer series saw a record 55 volunteers remove more than 560 pounds of trash from North Beach in Hampton. Curtis said the average amount collected during a typical cleanup is about 125 pounds.

Volunteers at the May cleanup or any summer beach cleanup in Seabrook can enter a free raffle to win a wetsuit from Zapstix, the surf shop where the events begin.

Helping at any of the summer cleanups in Hampton in June, July or August puts volunteers into a surfboard raffle drawn at the end of the event on Aug. 7. Next month’s beach cleanup is on Saturday, June 12 at 9 a.m. at “The Wall” across from Cinnamon Rainbows.

Curtis said the Seacoast surf scene is “pretty happening right now,” having gained many people over the past 10 years. “It’s really become popular,” he said.

Surfrider recently created a meetup.com site to chronologically list events and better interact with people. The free service comes with email notification of upcoming events.

The New Hampshire Surfrider Foundation is also online at www.surfrider.org/newhampshire.

Collecting Information on Ocean Illness in New Jersey

2010-04-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Jersey Shore Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has recently added an ocean illness form to their website to complement their BWTF water testing program. Joe Mairo, a Surfrider member and high school biology teacher that leads one of the Chapter's student run water testing programs, speaks to the local media about the new website and the chapter's experience with local incidences of illness caused by exposure to polluted water. Story below.

NJ biology teacher finds high bacteria levels in water near Wreck Pond, documents results online

By MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger

April 20, 2010, 5:31PM

WRECK POND -- It started with a small cut on his right leg.

A day after he went surfing in Asbury Park, Joe Mairo’s leg began to swell. Two days later, he was in the hospital with a serious staph infection.

Although Mairo has no proof, he can’t help but wonder if the cloudy water in which he was surfing that October day last year caused his infection.

For decades, surfers like Mairo have long suspected they’ve contracted all kinds of illnesses from their exposure to high levels of fecal coliform. Now they want to document their experiences on the internet to try to prove their theory.

"I remember sitting in the water and thinking ‘this is gross,’" the 32-year-old Bradley Beach resident said. "All those variables are out there for what I had, so it makes me a little unsure. (But) there are other cases where it’s really clear-cut."

Mairo said he can’t definitively link his illness — which turned out to be a MRSA infection — to the ocean water because he worked out at the same high school gym where wrestlers also had the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.

But Mairo, a biology and environmental science teacher at Wall Township High School, said some of his students have had more convincing cases, including ear infections or nausea almost immediately after surfing.

As part of the class curriculum, Mairo and his students conduct water-quality testing on samples taken from the ocean in Sea Girt and Spring Lake near an outfall pipe that flows from nearby Wreck Pond. The pond has had so many instances of high levels of fecal coliform that the state Department of Environmental Protection automatically closes beaches near the pond in the summer after heavy rainfalls as a precaution.

The students’ testing, conducted during the months the local health departments don’t test, occasionally have shown high levels of the bacteria.

"We definitely see when water temperatures are up and we get a rain, the bacteria levels are high," he said.

So Mairo suggested the Surfrider Foundation, of which he is a member, start a website at njoceanillness.org to collect the experiences of surfers and other people who suspect they’ve gotten sick from exposure to high fecal coliform levels.

With the website, the group will be able to determine whether any patterns emerge and present the evidence to state and local officials, said John Weber, the foundation’s East Coast regional manager.

To weed out phony stories, the donors have to identify themselves and be willing to testify to their experiences, Mairo said.

Weber said the advocacy group has heard anecdotes for years about surfers’ illnesses, from sore throats to ear infections and even worse, but noted there haven’t been any attempts to document them

"State and local health departments aren’t collecting it, so the (New Jersey) chapter is going to,’’ he said.

SAMOHI's Team Marine Students win Ocean Hero Award in Sancramento

2010-04-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Team Marine students for a job well done educating their peers, community and political leaders on the importance of water and environmental issues. Team Marine participates in the West LA/Malibu Surfrider Chapter's Teach & Test Program. The following story describes their Ocean Hero Award and their field trip to the State Capitol.

On April 5th, during Spring Break, nine students on Santa Monica High School's Team Marine (Melanie Delia, Valerie Wacker, Megan Kilroy, Eileen Flores, Devany Garcia, Danny Franco, Raphael Mawrence, Jacob Hassett, Kou Collins) traveled by van to Sacramento to be part of Ocean Day at the California State Capitol Building on March 6. Representing the youth, the students met with various assembly members, senators, and staff to support different bills that would reduce plastic marine debris and curb carbon dioxide emissions. They also encouraged state officials to establish a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that follow the scientific guidelines and draft new legislation that would make environmental sustainability a core subject in k-12 grade levels. The students also had a chance to lobby alongside various environmental organizations, including Heal the Bay.

That evening, Team Marine attended a formal reception and sustainable seafood banquet with numerous state officials and ocean advocates and was given an Ocean Hero Award by a California steering committee composed of CalCoast, Environment California, Heal the Bay, the NRDC, Ocean Conservancy, San Diego Coastkeeper, and Surfrider Foundation. Lester Snow, Secretary for Natural Resources welcomed the students that evening, and Mike Chrisman, a director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and former Secretary for Natural Resources presented the award to the students for their many contributions toward protecting the marine environment. Returning home along the coast, Team Marine visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and camped in beautiful Big Sur.

Valerie Wacker of Team Marine commented, " We were honored to be recognized by such important people. We were the only ones there who were under 30, and we were treated like adults."

Jacob Hassett of Team Marine remarked, "Being on Team Marine and receiving this prestigious award has made me realize that this generation of youth may have the gift that can change the world."

Raphael Mawrence of Team Marine stated, "Being in Sacramento with my peers was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and showed how the youth can make the greatest impact of all."

Coach Benjamin Kay said, "For both the students and us mentors, the experience was a crash-course in how state government operates, and we all learned so much. The students were very well received by all state officials, and it reinforced the importance of people voicing their opinions to their representatives."

Team Marine is an environmental science-based eco-action group of teens dedicated to raising awareness about sustainable solutions to the global climate, energy, and plastic pollution crises through scientific research, educational outreach, community service, pop art and culture, multimedia, social networking, and community partnerships. Team Marine is a former winner of the QuikSCience and Edison Challenges, Generation Earth's Most Sustainable Project Award, August R. Veenker Award, The Climate Community Citizen of the Week, and the My Better Lifestyle Award given by the Los Angeles Lakers and East West Bank. For more information, please see the students‚ website or their blog.

Re-authorizing the BEACH Act

2010-04-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

The BEACH Act of 2000 is the federal law that sets national standards for recreational water testing and authorizes state grants to pay for beach monitoring programs. This landmark law was first championed by Surfrider Foundation a decade ago. In the past three years, multiple attempts to reauthorize the BEACH Act have been made in Congress. The House of Representatives has already approved reauthorization legislation twice now, but proponents of these bills have not been successful in securing a place on the agenda for the full Senate.

The latest bill, the Clean Coastal Environment & Public Health Act of 2009, will increase the amount of federal dollars that can be spent on beach water quality monitoring and will modernize the technology we rely on to protect the health of the beach-going public. It also expands the scope of the BEACH Act to include tracking and cleaning up the sources of beach water pollution.

The original BEACH Act of 2000 is responsible for vast improvements in beach monitoring programs across the country. All coastal states are now operate beach monitoring programs. The BEACH Act set national water quality monitoring and reporting standards and authorizes yearly grants to states for beach monitoring.

Unfortunately, perennial under-funding has prevented full state implementation of the BEACH Act and has left public health at risk in many instances. Although the BEACH Act authorizes $30 million to be awarded to coastal states annually to support their beach monitoring programs, the actual appropriation is usually just under $10 million each year. Because of inadequate funding, many state programs are under-staffed and do not have the resources to meet all of their testing requirements.

Continued reliance on out-dated science also hinders proper implementation of beach monitoring programs. Currently, approved water testing methodologies require a 24 hr lag time before results are available. New water testing methods are available now that can provide water quality information within two hours of sampling, but the EPA has yet to approve any new methods for beach monitoring programs. States are also unable to use their BEACH grants to track and clean-up any sources of beach pollution, so that we could truly see improvements at our beaches.

The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act, HR 2093, was submitted to the House of Representatives by Members Pallone (NJ), Bishop (NY), and Bilbray (CA). Senator Lautenberg (NJ) submitted the companion bill, S 878, to the Senate.

As originally submitted, the Clean Coastal Environment & Public Health Act:

· Reauthorizes the BEACH Act of 2000 for 5 years;

· Doubles the amount of funding available to states, to $60 million, so that a greater number of beaches can be monitored and more frequent monitoring can be conducted;

· Allows funds to be used for pollution source detection and cleanup to prevent future incidences of closings and advisories;

· Requires EPA to approve and states to use rapid test methods for monitoring beach water pollution;

· Speeds up requirements to notify beachgoers immediately after contamination is found;

· Requires public health authorities to notify environmental agencies when contamination is found at the beach; and

· Requires compliance reviews to ensure that state and local programs receiving federal funds are meeting the minimum requirements of the BEACH Act.

HR 2093 was marked up by the House and now it only raises the funding level to $40 million. Language for pollution clean-up has been removed, and a study on the impacts of nutrient pollution has been added to the bill. S 878 has passed out of Senate Committee and is waiting to get on the agenda for consideration by the full Senate.

If you want to help support clean beaches and immediate access to critical water quality information send your Senators an email asking them to support the swift passage of the Clean Coastal Environment & Public Health Act. Just click here.

The full text of both the House and Senate versions of this bill can be found online.

For further reading, an evaluation of the BEACH Act of 2000 by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) can be viewed here.

Getting Creative in Newport, Oregon

2010-03-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Youth Volunteers in Newport, Oregon did it again! They've implemented another fantastic project to complement their BWTF water testing and raise awareness in a very creative way of the impacts of stormwater pollution. Another great job! Local newspaper coverage below....

Oregon Coast Aquarium Youth Volunteers Created a Painting of a Whale Around a Storm Drain

By Cindy Hanson

Newport, OR - Oregon Coast Aquarium youth volunteers partnered with the Surfrider Foundation to create a painting of a whale around a storm drain at the Nye Beach Turnaround. The “Storm Drain Art Project” intends to raise awareness about storm water and runoff pollution. Aquarium artist Michael Cole, known for his magnificent mural work at the Aquarium, painted the whale last Saturday. The youth volunteers have been coordinating the project with Cole and the Surfrider Foundation for the past six months, proposing the project to City Council and gathering materials. The City of Newport approved the first painting, and if the City approves of the next phase of the project, there will be more storm drain paintings in the area, intended to demonstrate that what goes into the storm drain goes into our oceans.

The youth volunteer team was first inspired to complete the art after learning about a similar project done by Surfrider Foundation with the Ocean Resource Team in Port Orford (2009). The youths wanted to educate the high number of visitors that enjoy the Nye Beach area and encourage them to make choices that have a positive impact on the environment. Recognizing that storm water pollution is a problem and everyone can be part of the solution, the youth team’s project aimed to deliver that message in a more meaningful way than a storm drain marker.

“What goes in our yards, streets and around drains ends up in the ocean and eventually negatively impacts us and marine life,” said Mechell Bailey, youth volunteer team member. “We thought this was a pretty cool way of demonstrating that connection.”

Throughout the winter the youth volunteers planned out their project. They researched city codes, regulations, located multiple possible sites around town, worked with local artist Michael Cole, wrote a project proposal and presented their idea to the Newport City Council in February. With a unanimous motion from the Newport City Council, the city staff enthusiastically supported preparing the site for the painting.

This year marks the third year that the youth volunteers and Surfrider Foundation have joined forces on youth volunteer water quality team projects. Working under the guidance of the Aquarium’s Youth Program Coordinator, Tricia Ratliff, and Surfrider’s Oregon Field Manager, Charlie Plybon, the youth volunteers help develop projects to raise awareness of the Blue Water Task Force Program. This citizen-based water quality monitoring program has been a partnership between the two organizations over the past seven years, giving volunteers hands-on experience sampling and testing water quality of local beaches. The past three years, the groups have worked jointly with a youth volunteer water quality team each winter, connecting the water quality program to a youth awareness project within the community.

“The youth volunteer team projects are an opportunity to develop leadership, project development, planning, and communication skills,” said Tricia Ratliff, Aquarium youth program coordinator. “More than anything the youth learn that community projects take careful planning, multiple strategies, and follow through. They start a project from conception and follow it through to completion and later present their projects to the general public.”

“My hope is that this project will help educate and make people aware of their actions, as well as be the start of many storm drain art projects,” Said Olivia Poncé, youth volunteer team member.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational attraction dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world’s natural marine and coastal resources. For more information, visit the Aquarium’s Web site at www.aquarium.org or call (541) 867-FISH.

Photo Caption: Olivia Ponce, Charlie Plybon, Mechell Bailey, Tricia Ratliff and Tonie Vinson stand behind a new storm drain painting, intended to raise awareness about storm water and runoff pollution, at the Nye Beach Turnaround in Newport. Courtesy Photo

To view Oregon Coast Aquarium's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-9-Oregon_Coast_Aquarium

BWTF in Rhode Island

2010-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Rhode Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation Springs Forward with Water Testing for 2010

March 17, 4:54 PMProvidence Surfing ExaminerPhilip Chiaradio

Know your water and the state of our seas

1phillydread

The Surfrider Foundation's deep-seated Blue Water Task Force, driven by it's volunteers, has initiated 2010's water quality monitoring program. In conjunction with Surfrider Foundation's global dedication in protecting our world's oceans, beaches and waves, the BWTF provides the crucial data necessary to assess water quality and pollution issues on a local level. Gathering coastal water samples in a near shore environment on a regular basis, not only provides the data history needed to alert surfers, beach goers and officials in local communities of any health threatening hazards, but also gives the Surfrider Foundation the clout in working towards solutions.

This year's research began on the 23rd of January, followed by another testing on March 6th and continuing throughout the year with May 15th being the next scheduled testing. A total of 14 surf zones are tested each time water sampling is conducted. In our Ocean State, two bacteria groups are monitored, fecal coliforms and enterococci. The results from all Surfrider sites, stretching from Middletown's Third Beach, to the Harbor in Watch Hill, are compared to the Rhode Island Dept of Health's state standard for safe recreational contact. Any surf spot with a result that exceeds state standards, is deemed unsafe. Surfers, swimmers and beach goers should refrain from surfing/swimming in these areas until conditions return to acceptable levels. Click Beach Closures and Advisories for recent updates.

Total coliforms are bacteria found throughout nature. They can occur in human feces, but can also be found in animal manure, soil, decaying wood and other areas on the human body.

Fecal coliforms are a subset of total coliforms bacteria that are fecal specific. However, the bacteria can also contain a genus not necessarily fecal in origin. This genus, Klebsiella, is commonly associated in discharge from textile and pulp mills. This is the reason why fecal coliforms is used as an indicator for drinking water standards.

Enterococci are bacteria that are commonly associated with sewage contamination and are more human specific. They indicate the possible presence of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria and viruses that can cause a wide range of health hazards such as gastroenteritis, dysentery, hepatitis and other ear, nose, throat and respiratory problems. Enterococci also have an ability to survive in salt water, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency has enterococci as the best indicator for beach/ocean recreation.

Since 2004, the RIDOH created enterococci standards for swimming in Rhode Island's beaches. The Rhode Island Dept of Environmental Management continues to monitor fecal coliforms in marine waters as required by the National Shelfish Sanitation Program.

When speaking with Lauren Russo, coordinator of the BWTF, she stated, "The results from both January and March's testing were in compliance with state standards for safe water recreation." However, areas that are prone to contamination, historically, areas close to rain induced stormwater run-off and combined sewer overflows, effluent from wastewater treatment plants, or stormwater pipes (such as Burnside Pipe, Ocean Road Pipe and Black Point Pipe) have exceeded standards and are under the watchful eye of the Blue Water Task Force. These surf zones are area's such as Newport's First beach, Monahan's Dock in Narragansett, Scarborough State Beach and the Watch Hill Harbor.

Unfortunately, many older cities, especially in New England, Providence included, use a single sewer system called a combined sewer system. During dry periods, wastewater is treated and released as clean effluent. During rain events, however, the combined sewer system becomes overloaded and, as a result, untreated combined sewage is discharged, eventually making its way to the Narragansett Bay. This has been happening since the turn of the century.

A similar scenario happened in Fall River, Ma. in February of 2010 when the Central Street pumping station failed to transfer raw sewage to the treatment plant and instead pumped 2.5 million gallons into the Mount Hope Bay within the Battleship Cove area.

To put the accidental spill in perspective, one Olympic size pool is equivalent to 630,000 gallons. Now add three more pools next to it, all four of them full of raw sewage. Over a period of eleven hours, this was how much was released into the Bay.

The EPA estimates that combined sewer systems overflow 43,000 times per year, discharging 850 billion gallons of untreated waste into our waters.

Green infrastructure is the single most important avenue available for support in congress to rectify sewer system problems. Please see article Ocean legislature for 2010 and click here to send a letter to Congress in support of Green Infrastructure.

Celebrate World Water Day

2010-03-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today is World Water Day and the Surfrider Foundation joins the United Nations to raise awareness about the world's increasing water quality challenges. Water is the foundation for all life on the planet. How we use and manage water directly affects not only our oceans, but our whole world as well.

Today, we are introducing "Know Your H2O", a new program that focuses on the issues behind use and management of our world's water resources. It's our goal is to educate everyone about water quality and most importantly how we all can take steps to improve it.

We are officially launching the program with our new animated film, " The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water" which was created by Surfrider Foundation volunteer activists and focuses on the various challenges and solutions relating to water management upstream.

You and I both know education has a true ripple effect. The real solution to toxic water pollution, trash littering our beach, and plastics choking sea life is empowering people to change their behaviors on land and then share that knowledge with others.

This World Water Day, I'm asking you to be part of this movement to change the way we all think and act when it comes to the oceans we love.

When you give a gift of $20 or more today, we'll thank you with your choice of an organic tote bag or reusable FilterForGood Nalgene bottle. Your membership will make you one more person reducing their plastic footprint and standing up for clean ocean water.

Your donation today supports educational efforts to stop pollution before it even begins. Your donation makes real pollution prevention a reality and will truly improve water quality.

You have the power to stop the insanity! There is no better day than World Water Day to stand up for clean ocean water and support real change for our oceans, waves and beaches. Please make a donation today.

Cycle of Insanity: Coming Soon to Theaters Near You?

2010-03-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

On World Water Day, Monday March 22, 2010, the Surfrider Foundation will premier The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water. This new short film, narrated by actress Zuleikha Robinson from the television series Lost, dives into controversial problems and solutions related to water management and serves as a practical outline for citizens curious about water issues. Watch the trailer and other promotional material online.

From beautiful and climate-appropriate ocean friendly gardens, low impact development and safe water re-use, the video highlights comprehensive solutions for economical and environmentally sensitive water management reform. “These approaches to meeting our water demands will simultaneously achieve multiple benefits like pollution prevention, energy conservation, wildlife and habitat restoration, flood mitigation and more. The video, created by Surfrider activists, presents a truly holistic integrated vision of water management meant to provoke debate and reform,” according to Joe Geever, Surfrider Foundation’s California Policy Coordinator.

“With the communities of San Diego County under Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions, this film comes at an important time,” said Belinda Smith, Co-Chair, Know Your h2o. “This film was made by volunteers from the chapters. We really want people to understand that by following the solutions offered, we offer water managers, and communities the unique opportunity to rethink and fix our outdated water management system.”

The basis for the Surfrider Foundation’s Know Your H2O program, the film will be a centerpiece in Surfrider Foundation’s campaign to bring holistic solutions to water management. Learn more about the Know Your H2O program and view the Cycle of Insanity movie online (after March 16th).

World Water Day, March 22, 2010

2010-03-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION CELEBRATES WORLD WATER DAY

Organization Launches New Water Quality Program, Online Contest and Special Membership Offer

San Clemente, CA (March 8, 2010) – March 22^nd is World Water Day – a global observance of our planet’s most precious resource. In recognition of World Water Day, the Surfrider Foundation is unveiling a robust offering of events and activities, including the launch of a new water quality and management-related program, a new educational video, an exciting water quality-themed online contest, and a one day-only membership offering.

Founded in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly, World Water Day was created to help focus public attention on the critical water issues facing our global community. The theme for this year’s World Water Day is “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”

“Water is the foundational basis for all life on the planet,” says Matt McClain, Surfrider Foundation’s Director of Marketing and Communications. “How we interact and manage water has a direct affect on not only our marine resources, but the whole of our world as well.”

To help illustrate this point, the Surfrider Foundation is launching “Know Your H20” – a new program that focuses on the issues behind use and management of our world’s water resources – on World Water Day.

“Know Your H20 is the next evolutionary step in Surfrider Foundation’s long-running Blue Water Task Force monitoring program,” says McClain. “Our goal is to move beyond telling people there are challenges to marine water quality, and towards educating them on how they can take steps to improve it.”

The Surfrider Foundation officially launches the program with the premiere of their highly anticipated animated movie “The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water.” The film, which was created by a cadre of Surfrider Foundation volunteer activists, is narrated by LOST star Zuleikha Robinson and focuses on the various challenges and solutions relating to water management. Check out this film's trailer here . The full film will be available for viewing by World Water Day at http://www.knowyourh2o.org.

Surfrider Foundation will also be kicking off an online contest for its Blue Note Karaoke event on World Water Day. Starting March 22^nd, people can log onto MySpace and enter for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to California to participate in Surfrider’s Blue Note Karaoke event on May 6^th.

Finally, the Surfrider Foundation will be offering a special one-day only World Water Day membership package on March 22^nd. For the discount price of $20 (regularly $25), purchasers will receive a one-year membership to the Surfrider Foundation and their choice of either a reusable FilterForGood Nalgene bottle or organic tote bag.

For additional information on the Surfrider Foundation’s World Water Day activations, visit www.surfrider.org.

About Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation, go to www.surfrider.org.

Blue Water Task Force

Blue Water Task Force Has Moved!

More on Sewage Spill in NH

Emergency Beach Clean-ups in NH to Remove Wastewater Treatment Disks

To help

Monitoring Gulf Beaches for Oil and Dispersants

Sewage Dumping on Long Island, NY

Bay Park Sewage Plant Still Dumping Waste In Fishing Waters

Ad Hoc Group: Stop Dumping Sewage in the Bay

Santa Monica High School Press Release & Data Displays

Rains bring sewage to beaches in California

When it rains in SoCal, is it a given that our beaches are awash in sewage?

Guest:

Web Resources

The BWTF: Where are we?

Oceans 2030: Youth Outlook, A photo, video & artwork contest

Complete Online Submission Form Here. Submission Deadline: November 22, 201

Combined Sewer Overflows Continue to Plague the Olympic Peninsula

Beach Monitoring in CA Survives Budget Cuts for 1 More Year

Nearly $1 million found for beach water tests in 2011

Funds still must be approved by state water officials.

Surfrider Europe Investigates Plastic Debris on Atlantic Beaches

Biofilters wash up on Atlantic beaches

Sewage Spill in Southern California

Major Marina del Rey sewage spill will keep beach closed for days A blockage in a main sent about 500,000 gallons of raw sewage into a storm drain leading to Ballona Creek. The spill ranks among the worst in the last two years along the Los Angeles County coastline.

Beach monitoring in CA suffers from budget cuts: Part 2

Beach monitoring in CA suffers from budget cuts

Lessons from a week in the Gulf. Water quality is unknown.

NRDC Testing the Waters 2010 featuring Hawaii

Working Towards Solutions in Cannon Beach, Oregon

Surfrider Testing Florida Beaches for Chemical Dispersants

Ocean Friendly Gardens in Los Angeles

Surfrider workshop to show gardeners how to reduce pollution flowing to ocean

New Rapid Methods in OC

Schools Out!

Source Tracking Guide Just Released!

Leaking Septic Systems Implicated in Bellingham, WA

A new BWTF program begins tackling pollution in Seattle

Public Notification of Water Quality Results

Advances in Beach Monitoring

Beach bacteria battle goes high-tech

Chicagoland effort to keep water safe hits digital age

Rise Above Plastics: Minimizing Disposables

Extended Beach Season in New Hampshire

Collecting Information on Ocean Illness in New Jersey

By MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger

April 20, 2010, 5:31PM

SAMOHI's Team Marine Students win Ocean Hero Award in Sancramento

Re-authorizing the BEACH Act

Getting Creative in Newport, Oregon

Oregon Coast Aquarium Youth Volunteers Created a Painting of a Whale Around a Storm Drain

BWTF in Rhode Island

Celebrate World Water Day

Cycle of Insanity: Coming Soon to Theaters Near You?

World Water Day, March 22, 2010

Complete Online Submission Form Here.

Submission Deadline: November 22, 201