Closures and Advisories Jump 128 Percent at Florida Beaches And 51 Percent Nationally. Florida is among the top five states in the country for its high number of beach closures
TALLAHASSEE (August 5, 2004) – It's become a familiar refrain every summer: "Beach closings and advisories are up...again." But this year, it's even worse. NRDC's (Natural Resources Defense Council) annual beach report, released today, found more closing and advisory days in 2003 than at any other time in the 14 years the organization has been monitoring them. "Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches" reports that nationwide there were more than 18,000 days of closings and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches last year – an increase of 51 percent from 2002. (For the complete report, go to www.nrdc.org.)
This year's report found more than 3,986 closing and advisory days in Florida, a 128 percent increase from the previous year. The dramatic jump is largely due to the increase in monitoring frequency, new methodology from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a lowering of the fecal coliform standard, and above-average rainfall levels. Bay County reported the highest number of closing and advisory days last year, followed by Okaloosa, Monroe, and Escambia Counties.
"Tens of thousands of Floridians go to the beach every summer to enjoy the sun, the sand, and the surf," said Linda Young, of Clean Water Network. "Too often they have to stay out of the water or risk getting sick."
Nationally, the number of beach closing and advisory days jumped from 12,078 days in 2002 to 18,284 days in 2003, an increase of 6,206 days. The states with the biggest increase in closing and advisory days between 2002 and 2003 were Delaware (82 percent increase), Florida (+128 percent), Mississippi (+337 percent), New Jersey (+318 percent), New York (+138 percent), Rhode Island (+196 percent) and South Carolina (+162 percent). North Carolina, meanwhile, went from no closing and advisory days in 2002 to 567 in 2003.
One of the report's most disturbing findings is that local authorities concede they don't know the sources of pollution causing or contributing to 68 percent of the closing and advisory days last year – the highest rate of "unknown" sources in the 14 years NRDC has been issuing the survey. The high rate of unknown sources means that authorities are not doing enough to identify the specific cause of the elevated bacteria level that prompted the closure, said Young. "We know that the high bacteria levels that cause most closings and advisories come from two sources – inadequately treated sewage and contaminated stormwater," Young said. "We have a major water system breakdown across the country, and local, state and federal authorities need to wake up and fix it." Young said that authorities should focus on preventing raw sewage discharges, reducing contaminated stormwater runoff and setting strong public health standards for bacteria, viruses, parasites and other pollutants.
According to NRDC, the annual trend of higher numbers of closing and advisory days is due to a combination of better monitoring of beach water quality – thanks in part to increased federal funding triggered by the BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health) Act of 2000 – and the failure of most municipalities to identify and control sources of beach water pollution. Pollution from sewage spills and urban runoff continues to contaminate many of our beaches with disease-causing bacteria and other pathogens. High bacteria levels, indicating the presence of human or animal waste, prompted 88 percent of the closing and advisory days in 2003.
Administration Weakens Beach Pollution Protections
The current administration began working to undermine Clean Water Act protections for beachwater the first day it took office and continues to issue new policies that undermine Clean Water Act programs that help keep beachwater clean and safe for swimming. The administration also has declined to protect many wetlands and other waters that filter beachwater sources, rolled back treatment requirements for sewage, allowed contaminated stormwater from new development to pollute rivers, slashed federal funding for clean water programs, and delayed and derailed state efforts to clean up polluted waterways. "As surely as pollution flows downhill, this administration's policies will increase beach closures, contaminate coastal waters, and make swimmers sick," said Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC's Clean Water Project.
Sewage is one of the biggest sources of coastal and estuarine water pollution in the country. For more than three years, the Environmental Protection Agency has held up rules that would minimize raw sewage discharges and require sewer systems to monitor and detect sewer overflows before they reach the beach. Instead of issuing a rule that would protect beachgoers, the EPA is now promoting a policy that would allow sewer operators to discharge inadequately treated sewage during heavy rains. "Exposure to inadequately treated sewage can cause vomiting and diarrhea for healthy people, but can be life threatening for young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems," said Stoner. "The EPA's policy is irresponsible."
NRDC is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million e-activists and members nationwide served from offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Santa Monica and San Francisco. More information about NRDC is available through its Web site: www.nrdc.org.