Originally published August 6 2005
Pollution makes beaches more dangerous
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The nation's recreational beaches are getting dirtier and more dangerous because of environmental pollution, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In it's annual clean beaches report, the council has found that beaches were closed or the subject of a health advisory on nearly 20,000 days in 2004, which was up by 9 percent from 2003 and the most days since tracking started 15 years ago.
Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC's Clean Water Project, sensibly suggests that instead of closing beaches, the water should be cleaned up.
She says now authorities are better at finding the problems, they need to stop the pollution at its source by repairing and replacing leaky sewage and septic systems, and cleaning up contaminated runoff.
The NRDC found that Texas, Washington and Maryland had the biggest increase in the number of closing and advisory days.
The report also found that 85 percent of the closing and advisory days were caused by dangerously high levels of bacteria found in human or animal waste, and sewage and storm runoffs are usually to blame.
Stoner says stronger enforcement for those who aren't doing their share is needed, along with more federal help for local communities to control runoff and update their aging sewage systems, if beach-related business are not to lose out.
The NRDC says authorities who are doing more to keep beaches clean include the city of Los Angeles, Scarborough State Beach in Rhode Island and Door County, Wisconsin, northeast of Green Bay.
The NRDC has urged the EPA to tighten controls on sewer overflows and storm water discharges, ensure that states and localities monitor water quality and notify the public when it does not meet bacterial standards.
Richard Whitman of the U.S. Geological Survey's Lake Michigan Ecological research station and colleagues, reported last week that sand can carry more bacteria than water at beaches.
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