LA Home Search Blog

Pollution study cites Cabrillo Beach

By Kristin S. Agostoni Staff Writer

Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro and Catalina Island’s Avalon Beach are ranked once again as two of the state’s most polluted stretches of coastline.

A survey released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council tracked water samples and beach closures at sites across the country. It found that in California, seven of the 10 most polluted sites were in Los Angeles County, including the inner section of Cabrillo and four parts of Avalon Beach.

Both areas were also handed demerits by the group Heal the Bay, which issued its annual report card before Memorial Day weekend. Beaches from Oregon to Mexico are graded based on daily and weekly tests of fecal bacteria by various agencies.

In Cabrillo’s case, officials with the Port of Los Angeles are planning a $12 million overhaul that includes removing a rocky jetty and using a water pump to improve poor circulation. And Avalon Beach, which is impacted by bird droppings, urban runoff and aging sewer systems, has been the subject of recent studies, the NRDC said.

But those efforts can’t undo the problems identified in the group’s 18th annual report, which analyzed samples from two-thirds of the state’s beaches from April 1 to Oct. 31, 2007.

The NRDC determined that 40 percent of the samples taken at inner Cabrillo Beach exceeded state bacterial standards, and that Avalon’s water quality was worst north of the pier, where 83 percent of the samples showed unhealthful results.

Port officials released a statement Tuesday saying Cabrillo’s water quality “is an ongoing issue that the (agency) is actively taking steps to address.” In addition to the planned improvements, the port removed dormant and leaking sewer lines, put up lines to deter birds and replaced the sand above the water level.
Avalon officials could not be reached for comment.

The NRDC report also found that in 2007, there were 1,696 beach closures and advisories issued in Los Angeles County, a drop of 18 percent from 2006.

But the county still had the highest number of closures and advisories statewide for the fifth consecutive year. Ninety-four percent of those were due to elevated bacteria levels from unknown sources of contamination, while another 3 percent came in response to sewage spills and 3 percent were caused by stormwater runoff.

kristin.agostoni@dailybreeze.com

Action Center

Urge your senators to clean up our beaches

Congress has the opportunity to help clean up contaminated beaches and to make sure sources of beach pollution are identified and addressed. Urge your senators to pass the Beach Protection Act.

August 4, 2008

Your Senators

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I urge you to support immediate passage of the Beach Protection Act (S. 2844). Our nation’s beaches are contaminated with human and animal waste that can make swimmers sick, harm the environment and threaten coastal economies. Beachgoers are not ensured timely or complete information about potential dangers in the water, such as stormwater and sewage pollution that contain bacteria, viruses and parasites.

The Beach Protection Act would require the Environmental Protection Agency to approve a rapid method for monitoring beachwater quality so that beachgoers could obtain timely information about whether the water is safe for swimming. It would also fund state and local programs to identify and clean up the sources of beachwater pollution, which caused more than 22,000 beach closings and advisories last beach season.

The Beach Protection Act has already passed the House of Representatives (as HR 2537) and is ready for floor action in the Senate. Please do all you can to pass this legislation this year. No one should swim unknowingly in human or animal waste.

Please inform the Senate leadership that you support passage of S. 2844 this year.
Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your address]

Sincerely,
Your signature will be added from the information you provide below.