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California
Beaches
Summer dry weather water quality at California beaches
this past year was excellent, and so far one of the best on
record in the new millennium. Of the 463 ocean water
quality monitoring locations throughout California, 415
(90%) received very good-to-excellent water quality marks
(A or B) for April though October 2004 (summer dry
weather time period) [Figure 1 and 2]. There were 48 (10%)
monitoring locations that received fair-to-poor water quality
marks (C - F) during the summer dry weather time period. The summer dry-weather grades reflect the very dry conditions that existed during spring and summer 2004.
The percentage of A or B grades for year-round dry weather was markedly lower than those for summer dry weather. This decrease is primarily due to the lasting impacts of the winter storms on dry weather days from November through March. Acknowledging that this year's tremendous rainfall was impacting dry weather beach days, normal recommendations for staying out of the water for three days after a rainstorm were extended up to a week, as rivers, creeks, and storm drains continued to drain areas drenched by rain. This can be seen in the distribution of grades as displayed in Figures 1 and 2.
The disparity between dry and wet weather grades was unprecedented this year. Many Californians were impacted by record rainfalls this past winter. Lost in news reports of traffic jams, flooding, and landslides caused by enormous rain events were the drastic impacts on local water quality. For example, the last El Niņo that Los Angeles experienced in 1997-1998 dumped 31 inches for the entire rainy season (July 1 through June 30) and impacted water quality at many local beaches into the summer months, well beyond the rainy season. This year's inordinate amount of rain (over 36 inches) has already had a significant impact on water quality and will most likely continue
to impact water quality into the summer months. Unrecorded rain event and sampling event
chronology may account for occasional discrepancies between dry and wet grades.
An astonishing 90% of monitored beaches received fair-to-poor grades (Figure 1 and 2) during the wet weather season, with 76% of all locations receiving an F. This drastic seasonal difference in water quality is why Heal the Bay and public health agencies continue to recommend that no one swim in the ocean during, and for at least three days after, a significant rainstorm. To date, other than education programs, there have been no major efforts along the coast targeting reductions in fecal bacteria densities from stormwater. A list of the grades can be found in each county's section in this online report.
California
“Beach Bummers”
Numerous California beaches vied for the "Beach Bummer" crown this year (the monitoring location with the poorest dry weather water quality). The 10 finalists were: Paradise Cove west of the pier in Malibu (10th), Redondo Municipal Pier in Los Angeles County (9th), Pillar Point Harbor at Capistrano Ave. in San Mateo County (8th), Pacific Beach, P.B. Point downcoast of Linda Way in San Diego County (7th), Baby Beach at Dana Point Harbor in Orange County (6th), Avalon Beach between the storm drain and Busy Bee Restaurant on Catalina Island (5th), Campbell Cove State Park Beach at Bodega Bay in Sonoma County (4th), and Cabrillo Beach harborside at the lifeguard tower in Los Angeles County (3rd). Two beaches share the dubious honor of being California's worst" Beach Bummer" this year. Doheny Beach from North Beach to 1000 feet south of the San Juan Creek in Orange County and the stretch of beach from Imperial Beach at Seacoast Drive to Border Field State Park at the Border Fence in South San Diego County share the award based on the length of beach area degraded and the severity of poor water quality.
Heal the Bay strongly commends those agencies that continue their monitoring programs beyond the AB411 required dates of April through October. This action provided approximately 20 additional weeks of water sampling, which meant beachgoers, particularly surfers going out for the winter swells, could continue receiving information about water quality and have the ability to make better health risk decisions concerning their favorite beaches.
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