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Beach Water Quality Study |
California beaches do not fare well in the latest National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) study.
Los Angeles Times article :
Although California may be famous for its surfing and swimming, the state ranked among the worst in beach water quality nationwide, coming in 22nd out of 30 coastal states. Los Angeles County was home to the most polluted beach water, with 20% of samples exceeding state standards.
In May, Heal the Bay also ranked Los Angeles beaches as worst in the state for water quality.
Bacteria can flow into beach water from sewage accidents such as the spill that forced closures in Long Beach on Monday. Storm water flowing through urban areas can also pick up animal waste, fertilizer, motor oil and other contaminants that are dumped into the ocean.
"We've described it as a toxic soup," Mehta said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
Although researchers linked 9% of contamination to sewage and 3% to storm water, the vast majority (81%) came from unknown sources.
Links:
LA Times Article
NRDC Testing the Waters 2009 page
NRDC Testing the Water Full report
California Summary
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