Published August 16, 2003 by keysnews.com.
KEY WEST – Water quality at Florida Keys beaches is not perfect, but efforts to monitor for pollutants in the Keys apparently are among the most diligent in the state.
The Natural Resource Defense Council this week released its 13th annual report on United States water quality called "Testing the Waters." Each summer, the agency studies beach closings and advisories, along with local and statewide water-quality monitoring efforts in the coastal and Great Lakes states.
It reports the results and offers a state-by-state breakdown of water-quality issues, while also naming the nation's Beach Bums and Beach
Buddies.
Communities named as Beach Bums are those that "do not regularly monitor beach water for swimmer safety or notify the public if health standards are exceeded and have known stormwater or sewage sources that could pollute their water," the report states.
Conversely, Beach Buddies monitor water quality regularly, notify the public if health standards are not met and take significant steps to reduce beach pollution.
Monroe County did not make either list this year, despite the fact that the Keys, with 17 testing sites, have more beaches being tested than any other county in Florida.
"I think it's because we didn't make enough progress on our stormwater systems," said Deevon Quirolo of Reef Relief, which, along with the NRDC, is a member of the nationwide Clean Water Network. "But the report shows that Florida and the Florida Keys are monitoring more often, but unfortunately, are still having water quality problems."
The most recent report, which summarizes the NRDC's findings in the summer of 2002, shows that there was a total of 15,100 beach closing and advisory days nationwide – and that number only includes communities that monitor their water and report the results.
In Florida, the number of beach advisories in 2002 were about double those in 2001, although "Testing the Waters" acknowledged that the dramatic increase may stem from increased monitoring. But in Monroe County, the number of days that saw water advisories issued decreased by 13 when compared to 2001 results.
Since 2000, the number of days advisories were posted in Monroe County has decreased from 138 to 131 in 2001, and was down to 118 in 2002.
"Whether the decrease is the result of natural causes or of steps being taken to improve water quality is unknown," Quirolo said, emphasizing the need for continued testing and continuous improvements to wastewater systems.