Study shows poor water quality at 3 local beaches

Andrew Edwards

Three local beaches are failing as far as the water-quality advocates

at Heal the Bay are concerned. However, in a survey released

Wednesday, the group gave high marks to most of Newport Beach’s

waterfront when waters were tested on days with no rain.

Heal the Bay, which has headquarters in Santa Monica, issued its

15th annual Beach Report Card on Wednesday. The group graded beaches

based on the amount of fecal bacteria detected in water tests.

The report, which included test results taken from April 2004

through March 2005, showed water quality at usually clean beaches

could take a steep dive after rains.

“The amount of rainfall we had made it easier to see the

correlation between bad water quality and rainfall,” Beach Report

Card manager James Alamillo said.

Newport’s three failing beaches were Harbor Patrol Beach, 43rd

Street Beach and 38th Street Beach. Harbor Patrol Beach and 43rd

Street Beach earned D grades on dry days and F grades on wet days.

Heal the Bay gave 38th Street Beach a C grade during dry weather and

an F at rainy times.

In rainy weather, F grades were common. Multiple beaches around

Corona del Mar, Balboa Island and Crystal Cove earned A grades when

the sun was shining but flunked water tests after rains.

Beaches with frequent surf are often cleaner than those with still

water, Alamillo said. Calm beaches attract birds, whose waste

products can pollute waters.

Waves help keep beaches clean by washing away dirty sediments. The

absence of waves can allow contaminants to build up.

Looking at a small patch of sand at 38th Street Beach, Defend the

Bay founder Bob Caustin said the still waters’ safe appearance is

deceptive.

“If you didn’t know any better, you might take your kid to

recreate,” he said.

As a general safety rule, Caustin recommended that beachgoers swim

upstream from storm drains and go in the water when the tide is

rolling in to avoid swimming around in an inflow of pollution from

storm drains.

He believes runoff problems during rain can be reduced if cities

require builders working on new projects to include cisterns to

retain rainwater.

Similarly, Garry Brown, executive director of Orange County

Coastkeeper, said the most sensible ways to reduce runoff problems

are to contain storm waters and to use natural treatment.

Though subjecting rainwater to the same treatment as sewage would

be too expensive, Brown pointed to the Irvine Ranch Water District’s

use of wetlands to naturally treat water as a feasible way to fight

pollution.

The Irvine Ranch Water District uses wetlands in the San Joaquin

Marsh, near the Jamboree Boulevard bridge, to naturally clean water

flowing down the San Diego Creek before it reaches Newport Bay.

The water district plans to construct 30 additional wetlands along

the creek to improve water quality.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at [email protected].