Much-needed winter storms may have relieved California’s historic drought, but all that rain came at some cost – poor beach water quality. Bacterial pollution at some of California’s most popular beaches spiked dramatically in 2016–17, according to Heal the Bay’s 27th annual Beach Report Card, which the nonprofit released today.
Heal the Bay analysts assigned A-to-F letter grades to 416 beaches along the California coast for three reporting periods in 2016–2017, based on levels of weekly bacterial pollution. Some 96% of beaches received A or B grades during the high-traffic summer season (April–October 2015), slightly above the statewide five-year average. Wet weather was a different story, however. Record rainfall created billions of gallons of polluted runoff, which poured into storm drains and out to the ocean. Nearly 48% of California’s beaches received C to F grades, about 12% more than the statewide five-year average. Polluted ocean waters pose a significant health risk to the tens of thousands of year-round ocean users in California. Those failing grades indicate a significant health risk to the tens of thousands of year-round ocean users in Southern California, who can contract a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness from […]
Full article: The Annual Beach Report Card 2017 Release
Photo Credit: iStock The lake supports nearly 300 species of birds, mammals, and fish, as…
Map: A 3D view with basemap transparency adjusted to show underground wells, with filtering by…
As part of SF Climate Week, KQED’s Danielle Venton sat down with the California Secretary…
JT Chevallier and JB Harris operate BEBOT during a demo on Tallac Beach, June 15,…
The Biden administration announced new protections for millions of acres of wetlands, which are essential…
Photo: Adobe Stock / Romolo Tavani For many California industrial facilities, above average rainfall brought 60-day…