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Often-polluted O.C. beaches were squeaky clean this summer

September 30th, 2009, 12:48 pm · 7 Comments · posted by

Water quality on Orange County’s beaches was “excellent” this summer, according to the latest report card from the Santa Monica-based environmental group, Heal the Bay — even at some of the county’s notoriously dirty beaches. doho09goc

Of the 103 water sampling locations on the O.C. coast, all but one received A or B grades from the group, which relies on sampling data from public agencies to compile its report cards twice a year.

Even the San Juan Creek mouth at Doheny State Beach and the Baby beaches in Dana Point, which often registered contamination in the past, received ‘A’ grades.

A big reason is lack of rainfall, which has meant less contamination flowing into the ocean from shore.

“We’re looking at the third year of the SoCal drought,” said Mike Grimmer, the group’s beach report card manager. “We’ve had three good years of water quality, just inching up better and better — probably directly correlated.”

The county’s single exception was Poche Beach near San Clemente. Despite a recently installed ultraviolet treatment facility for bacteria at Poche Creek, the beach received an ‘F’.

“I’m a bit worried we haven’t seen water quality rebound there, but it’s not entirely unusual for these types of projects to take some time, after completion, to kind of fine-tune the scenario,” Grimmer said.

Another piece of good news: no known sewage spills were recorded in Orange County during summer 2009. Last summer, there were seven.

The report spans Memorial Day, May 25, through Labor Day, Sept. 7, for 460 sampling locations up and down the California coast, from Humboldt County to San Diego County.

(Register photo of Eduardo Reyes riding his boogey board at Doheny State Beach in August by Sam Gangwer.)

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     7 Comments

    • OC CPA dude says:
      September 30, 2009 at 1:31 pm

      I thought I had read about at least one (maybe 2) sewage spills in Laguna Beach this summer. Is this referring to no sewage spills over X number of gallons?

    • jack says:
      September 30, 2009 at 2:21 pm

      Clean oceans is one benefit of lack of rainfall, but once we get our first storm of the season, lookout!

    • Ed says:
      September 30, 2009 at 2:24 pm

      The merchants are doing poorly so the water’s clean (today). It cracks me up–several years ago the beach was cordoned off and the merchants screamed–no tourons. So they uncordoned the area of the beach around the pier and declared the water there “safe.” Money talks. I’ve lived in HB 33 years and this wasn’t the only time, either. PS: “…relies on sampling data from public agencies.” Need more?

    • res says:
      September 30, 2009 at 3:09 pm

      that is the problem ed, and specifically unlike other agencies, OC doesn’t monitor at the storm drain. OC monitors after the pollution has had a chance to disapate. So in reality, OC beaches are more polluted than the results of the test show in comparison to non-oc beaches. Like all OC things, it is all image. Once you get passed the cookie cutter tract home and leased car you find a mountain of debt for most people in oc.

    • Scott Potter says:
      September 30, 2009 at 3:30 pm

      I don’t know what OC beaches these people went to, but I can guarantee you that every Sunday morning when I walk the beach there is so much trash lying around that it saddens me beyond beliefe that people are such utter and absolute pigs.

    • RandyBalboa says:
      October 1, 2009 at 7:56 am

      Just remember, this is in relation to sewage spills and or harmful bacteria that can make humans sick. This has nothing to do with “contamination” that impacts the entire non-human entity or viral exposures. The fact that urban runoff is still spewing its toxic spew to the receiving waters of our coastline. Bio-accumulation of toxics in the seafood we consume is on the rise. This comes from us urban runoff contributors, and the use of carbon based fuels.
      But it’s nice to know the local “brown trout” have been MIA this summer.

    • John S. says:
      October 1, 2009 at 1:15 pm

      …And coyotes, squirrels, birds and mountain lions poop too.

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