NRDC Annual Beach Report: Closing & Advisory Days Hit Third-Highest Level in Two Decades
America’s beaches saw the third-highest number of closing and advisory days in more than two decades last year, confirming the nation’s seashores continue to suffer from storm water runoff and sewage pollution that can make people sick and harm coastal economies, according to the 22nd annual beachwater quality report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Our beaches are plagued by a sobering legacy of water pollution,” said NRDC senior attorney Jon Devine. “Luckily, today more than ever, we know that much of this filth is preventable and we can turn the tide against water pollution. By establishing better beachwater quality standards and putting untapped 21st century solutions in place—we can make a day at the beach as carefree as it should be, and safeguard America’s vital tourism economies.”
In its 22nd year, NRDC’s annual report, Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches, analyzes government data on beachwater testing results from 2011 at more than 3,000 beach testing locations nationwide. The report examines the pollution realities that loom at America’s beaches and calls for a timely, concerted effort to avert future beachwater pollution.
The report confirms that last year, our nation’s beachwater continued to suffer from serious contamination and pollutants by human and animal waste. As a result, America’s beaches issued the third-highest number of closings or advisories in the report’s history last year, with the second-highest number occurring just the year before.
The report provides a 5-star rating guide to 200 of the nation’s popular beaches, evaluating them for water quality and best practices for testing and public notification. This year, the report awards a dozen beaches with a 5-star rating, as well as highlights the top 15 “Repeat Offenders,” which repeatedly exhibit chronically high bacteria counts.
For the first time this year, NRDC’s report includes a zip code searchable map of more than 3,000 beaches nationwide, making it easier than ever for users to check the water quality, monitoring, closing and swimming advisory information at their local beaches. Find it here: www.nrdc.org/beaches.
NATIONAL FINDINGS IN 2011:
Closing and advisory days in 2011 at America’s beaches reached the third-highest level in the 22 years since NRDC began compiling this report at 23,481 days. This was a 3% decrease from 2010; that year marked the second-highest number of closings and advisories. More than two-thirds of the closings and advisories in 2011 were issued because testing revealed indicator bacteria levels in the water violated public health standards, potentially indicating the presence of human or animal waste. Storm water runoff was the primary known source of known pollution nationwide, consistent with past years, indicating a lack of needed progress on the problem at the national level. Sewage overflows were also a contributor.
This year’s report found that water quality at America’s beaches remained largely stable, with 8% of beachwater samples nationwide violating public health standards in 2011, compared to 8% the previous year and 7% for the four years prior.
The Great Lakes region had the highest violation rate of beachwater standards—11% of samples in 2011. The Delmarva had the lowest rate of samples—4% violated standards. In between were Western states (8%), New England (7%), New York-New Jersey coast (7%), and the Gulf Coast (6%).
Individual states with the highest violation rates of reported samples in 2011 were Louisiana (29%), Ohio (22%), and Illinois (12%). Those with the lowest rates of contamination last year were Delaware (1%), New Hampshire (1%), North Carolina (3%), New Jersey (3%), Florida (3%), Virginia (4%) and Hawaii (4%).
Under the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, states regularly test their beachwater for bacteria found in human and animal waste. These bacteria often indicate the presence of pathogens. When beach managers determine that water contamination violated health standards – or in some cases when a state suspects levels would violate standards, such as after heavy rain – they notify the public through beach closures or advisories.
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. For senior citizens, small children and people with weak immune systems, the results can be fatal.
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that more than 10 trillion gallons of untreated storm water make their way into our surface waters each year, and there are hundreds of billions of gallons of wastewater, which includes sewage and storm water, released in combined sewer overflows annually.
The best way to keep this pollution out of America’s beachwater is to prevent it from the start by investing in smarter, greener infrastructure on land, like porous pavement, green roofs, parks, roadside plantings and rain barrels. Green infrastructure addresses storm water pollution by stopping rain where it falls, preventing the rain from carrying runoff from dirty streets to our beaches, and instead storing it or letting it filter back into the ground naturally.
Green infrastructure solutions reduce the need for end-of-line storm water treatment, prevent overloaded sewage systems and triggered overflows, and thereby turn rainwater from a huge pollution liability into a plentiful, local water supply resource. These sustainable water practices on land not only restore the health of local waterways and beaches, they also beautify neighborhoods, cool and cleanse the air, reduce asthma and heat-related illnesses, save on heating and cooling energy costs, boost economies and support American jobs.
Cities nationwide are already embracing these innovative storm water management solutions. Now, the federal government has significant opportunities to clean up water at America’s beaches by incentivizing green infrastructure in communities nationwide. EPA has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand the robust deployment of green infrastructure by reforming its national requirements designed to tackle urban runoff. A proposed water pollution rule for storm water sources, such as new and existing development projects, is expected to be announced by EPA in the coming year.
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