Water Quality Was Good at O.C. Beaches This Summer

Water quality was good at the vast majority of Orange County beaches this summer, with the notable exception of Huntington Beach, according to Heal the Bay’s end-of-summer report card issued Thursday.

“The good news is there [are] very, very many choices . . . for people to swim at to protect their health,” said Mark Gold, Heal the Bay’s executive director. The Santa Monica-based organization monitors weekly bacteria levels at 262 locations along the Southern California coast.

Of 103 sites in Orange County, 82 scored “good” to “excellent.” Such high marks were typical across the Southland because of lack of rain--beach-goers enjoyed 147 straight days of sunny, dry weather, according to the report.

“It’s a lot better” than in previous years, Gold said. “The reason why, very simply, is we’re in the midst of a drought year.”

Storm drain flows, which bring urban runoff into the ocean, are greatly reduced by low rainfall.

Five sewage spills this summer released about 6,100 gallons into the ocean, a typical amount, said Monica Mazur, an Orange County Health Care Agency spokeswoman. More than 1 million gallons of sewage spilled into Los Angeles County waterways this summer, according to the report.

Stretches of Huntington Beach--the county’s worst trouble spot--were closed from July 1 to Sept. 4 because of high bacteria levels. Although $2 million has been spent trying to find the cause, it remains unknown. Parts of that beach were also closed for three days after dental needles washed ashore, according to the report.

Other beaches that were rated “fair” to “poor” included stretches of Seal Beach, Dana Point, Dana Point Harbor, San Clemente and Newport Bay.

High bacteria levels at these beaches can often be attributed to one of two causes: urban runoff at creek mouths, such as where San Juan Creek meets Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, or water with low tidal flushing, such as Baby Beach in Dana Point Harbor, Mazur said.

Garry Brown of the Orange County Coast Keeper said the report was positive but cautioned that more people need to be educated about urban runoff.

“It bodes well for Orange County that our beaches are swimmable most of the time; that’s the way it should be,” he said.

The report card is based on an analysis of the frequency and magnitude of high bacteria counts between June 7 and Oct. 25. This is the first year that the report was expanded outside of Los Angeles County to include Santa Barbara, Orange and Ventura counties. Next year, San Diego County will be added.