Heal the Bay's first Beach Report CardSM (BRC) was published in 1990 and covered 60-plus monitoring locations in Los Angeles County from Leo Carrillo Beach to Cabrillo Beach. At the time, beachgoers knew little about the health risks of swimming in polluted waters or the water quality at any of their favorite beaches in Los Angeles County. Beach water quality was a public issue only when a substantial sewage spill occurred. Although beaches were routinely monitored, the data was either inaccessible or unusable to the public. Since then, much work has been done to address the issue of urban runoff and sewage spills at our local beaches. Scientific studies such as the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project's Epidemiological Study on swimmers at runoff polluted beaches and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project's bight-wide shoreline bacteria and laboratory inter-calibration study have been completed. Legislation, such as the statewide beach bathing water standards and public notification bill (AB411), and the protocol for identifying sources of fecal indicator bacteria at high-use beaches that are impacted by flowing storm drains (AB538) have been passed and largely implemented. Structural best management practices, such as the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, dry weather diversions, and Clean Beach Initiative projects have been constructed. In this same time period, Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card has grown in coverage, expanding from Los Angeles County to all of California (where monitoring programs exist).
The 15th Annual Beach Report Card summarizes the results of beach water quality monitoring programs throughout California, from Humboldt County to San Diego County, over the last 12 months (April 2004 through March 2005). The summary includes an analysis of water quality during three time periods: summer dry weather conditions, year-round dry weather conditions, and wet weather conditions. In addition to summarizing local water quality, the report includes a brief review of the number of sewage spills that impacted recreational waters over the past year. The information derived from this analysis is used to develop recommendations for solving water quality impairments at problem beaches. The report also includes updates on issues that have an impact on beach water quality, such as legislation, regulatory programs and scientific studies. These updates are followed by Heal the Bay's recommendations for the coming year for improving water quality and expanding public education.
The BRC covers over 350 locations (460 from April through October) from Humboldt County to San Diego County on a weekly basis, updated every Friday. Heal the Bay advises California beachgoers to use the information before they go to any beach in the state, in order to better protect their health and the health of their families. The weekly California BRC is available in print and at Heal the Bay's website, www.healthebay.org.
The Report Card should be used like the SPF ratings in sunblock - beachgoers should determine what they are comfortable with in terms of relative risk, and then make the necessary decisions to protect their health.
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