Clean Water News

PennEnvironment Calls for Faster Pollution Testing

[Philadelphia] – As Americans flock to beaches around the country, PennEnvironment reported that beach closings and advisories due to pollution increased last year at Lake Erie and the Jersey shore but held steady at Delaware beaches, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s 19th annual beachwater quality report.  PennEnvironment called for increased federal funding and faster testing for beachwater pollution.

Across the country, the number of closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches reached more than 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year, confirming that our nation’s beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk.

“When families head to the beach this summer, they shouldn’t have to worry about swimming in polluted water that can make them sick,” said Erika Staaf, PennEnvironment’s Clean Water Advocate. “Visitors to Lake Erie or the Jersey shore shouldn’t have to choose between swimming in sewage and staying out of the water.”

Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the report, Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches, confirms that our nation’s beachwaters continue to suffer from serious contamination – including human and animal waste – that can make people sick. The report tallied 45 beach closing and health advisory days in 2008 at Lake Erie beaches, a 9-fold increase over the year before but about on par with previous years’ levels.  The report also tallied 208 beach closing and health advisory days in 2008 at New Jersey beaches, a 47% increase over the year before. New Jersey had 134 beach closings and advisories in 2006 and 79 in 2005.

At Lake Erie, all of the beach closing and advisory days were caused by stormwater runoff pollution.  In New Jersey, most of the beach closing and advisory days were caused by medical waste, stormwater runoff pollution, and unknown pollution sources.

The report also provides a five-star rating guide for 200 of the nation’s most popular beaches, based on indicators of beachwater quality, monitoring frequency, and public notification of contamination. In New Jersey, Point Pleasant Beach, Spring Lake (Essex) in Monmouth County, Belmar Beach, and Avalon Beaches at 30th Street were some of the nation’s beaches receiving the lowest score of one star.

While the report found a 10 percent decrease in closing and advisory days at beaches nationwide from 2007, it reveals this drop was in part the result of dry conditions in many parts of the country and decreased funding for water monitoring in some states last year, rather than a sign of large-scale improvement. The decline follows two years of record-high closing and advisory days, and the primary pollution source, stormwater runoff after heavy rains, continues to be a serious problem that has not been addressed.

“When the rains return,” said Nancy Stoner, NRDC Water Program Co-Director, “so will pollution, forcing beaches to issue more closings and advisory days.”

Nationally, seven percent of beachwater samples violated health standards – indicating the presence of human or animal waste – showing no improvement from 2007 or 2006. In Pennsylvania, the percentage of health standard exceedances of the beaches monitored increased to five percent in 2008 from two percent in 2007, but decreased from nine and six percent in 2006 and 2005, respectively. In Pennsylvania, 100 percent of the beach closing and advisory days were caused by stormwater runoff pollution.  Pennsylvania ranks 23rd in the nation for its beachwater quality.  

In Delaware, the percentage of health standard exceedances of the beaches monitored stayed steady from 2007 to 2008 at one percent, and dropped from three percent in 2006. Delaware ranked one of the best in the nation for its beachwater quality in 2008.  Delaware’s Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island and Rehoboth Beach at Rehoboth Avenue all received a four star rating out of four stars.

“There’s good news for beach-goers who head to Delaware’s beaches. Delaware had one of the lowest percentages of beach closings and advisories in the nation,” stated Masur.  “When families head to the beach this summer, they shouldn’t have to worry about swimming in polluted water that can make them sick.  We’re happy to see Delaware take significant steps to reduce beachwater pollution and protect public health.”

For the first time, the report this year explores the effects of global warming on beachwater quality, revealing that global warming is expected to make pollution worse. The combined effects of temperature increases and more frequent and intense rainstorms will lead to increased stormwater runoff, sewer pollution and disease-causing pathogens in nearby waterways. Specifically, global warming is anticipated to influence the presence of pathogens that cause stomach flu, diarrhea and neurological problems in America’s beachwater.

Beachwater pollution makes swimmers vulnerable to a range of waterborne illnesses 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.

The best way to protect swimmers from beachwater pollution is to prevent it, according to PennEnvironment. Federal, state and local governments can make this a priority by requiring better controls on stormwater and sewage, the two largest known sources of beachwater pollution. A key solution is to utilize low impact development techniques in communities to retain and filter rainwater where it falls, letting it soak back into the ground rather than running off into waterways. This includes strategically placed rain gardens in yards, tree boxes on city sidewalks, green roofs that use absorbent vegetation on top of buildings, and permeable pavement that allows water to penetrate the material, instead of asphalt or concrete.

Another protection measure includes better and faster testing methods. The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act pending in Congress would provide money for more beachwater sampling and require the use of faster testing methods so people get timely information about whether it is safe to swim.

Additionally, the American Clean Energy and Security Act that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives will curb global warming pollution and help communities prepare for further impacts of global warming on coastal communities such as flooding, sea level rise, increased stormwater pollution and sewer overflows.

“We applaud U.S. Representatives Kathy Dahlkemper and Joe Sestak for co-sponsoring the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act and urge our senators and the remainder of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation to support the bill,” said Masur. “We also urge our Senators to support the strongest possible global warming legislation this summer and fall.”

For the full report, go to www.nrdc.org/beaches.