For Coast, When It Rains, It’s Poor

On dry, sunny days, the vast majority of California’s 1,100-mile coast received top marks during the past year.

However, according to a new study released Thursday, popular spots such as Surfrider Beach in Malibu, Rincon Beach in Ventura County and Doheny State Beach in Dana Point remain hotspots for illness-causing bacteria.

And on rainy days, as torrents of toxic urban runoff flow into the ocean, swimmers should stay out of the water regardless of where they live, according to Heal the Bay’s 12th annual Beach Report Card.

“Heal the Bay is giving Southern Californians the tools to make educated decisions about the beaches they go to,” said actress Amy Smart, a member of the Santa Monica-based environmental group’s board of directors.

Thursday’s report marks the first time the organization has tried to look at every coastal county between the Mexican border and the Oregon state line.

However, because of irregularities in reporting, the account doesn’t shed much light beyond Southern California. Monitoring and reporting are spotty north of Santa Barbara County, with the exception of Santa Cruz County, said Mark Gold, Heal the Bay’s executive director.

The three northernmost coastal counties--Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino--are not required by state law to regularly monitor beaches. Marin County officials still have not put together a testing program that was legally required to be in place three years ago. San Francisco and San Mateo counties’ data were inadequate or unavailable, while Sonoma, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties don’t test their water five months of the year.

Still, the year’s marks were positive--83% of 394 testing spots received A’s or Bs, and only 7% received Fs between April 2001 and March 2002.

“This year overall has been a very good year, because it’s a dry year,” said Aliza A. Lifshitz, speaking for the environmental organization at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. “But we still have some work to do.”

Beaches affected by urban runoff that have poor circulation, such as the Baby Beach in Dana Point and Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, tended to receive the lowest marks.

“There’s more circulation in your bathtub than at Cabrillo,” Gold said.

The sites with the worst pollution included Surfrider Beach in Malibu, Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Arroyo Quemada in Santa Barbara County and part of Mission Bay in San Diego.

On rainy days, when runoff scours oil, pet waste, fertilizer and other contaminants off streets and lawns and into the ocean, 40% of the state’s beaches received poor marks.

Lifshitz, a Cedars-Sinai internist and author of the bilingual guidebook “Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby,” said swimming in that pollution can cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea and diarrhea; respiratory infections; skin rashes; and viral diseases.

“When that rain starts, [swimmers] need to wait at least three days to go into the water,” she said. “Otherwise, they will get sick.”

Gold offered solutions to improve water quality, such as installing filters in storm drains, sending more runoff to sewage treatment plants and building wetlands that naturally cleanse runoff.

The report praised Gov. Gray Davis for earmarking $34 million in last year’s budget for protecting the state’s beaches, and voters for supporting a $2.6-billion environmental bond earlier this year that includes $375 million specifically designated for cleaning up the ocean, rivers and streams.

However, the group called on Northern California counties to more rigorously test their water, and asked state water officials to create complex pollution limits for several water bodies. Cities with sheltered beaches, such as Kiddie Beach in Channel Islands Harbor and Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, were asked to develop measures to improve tidal circulation.

Heal the Bay also urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create more stringent monitoring standards nationwide. California’s requirements are the most stringent in the United States.

The report was released the same day as environmental groups across the nation called on EPA administrator Christie Whitman to back rules requiring reporting of sewer spills and public notification when sewage reaches the water.

California law already requires such action. Beach closures caused by sewage spills were largely confined to Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Orange County once again had the most--its coastal stretches were shut 51 times in the past year by raw human waste, the report says.

The report is at www.healthe bay.org