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.
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.
Water monitoring comes ashoreALEX 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.comALEX 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.
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."
Tony D'eramo, Emerald Coast Surfrider board member and marine biologist takes water samples on July 10. Photo courtesy Michael Sturdivant
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. "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. -- Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times Photo credits, from top: Angie Johnson; Celeste Howe 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
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.
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.
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.
Contact Mara Dias, mdias@surfrider.org to discuss your chapter getting more involved with the Beach Act campaign or improving local beach monitoring programs.
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