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Report: Water Quality at Arroyo Burro Beach Among State's Worst |
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By Anna Davison
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Thursday, May 24 2007 |
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 Several local beaches got poor marks for water quality in a report released Wednesday. Photo by Anna Davison / SBN
Refugio State Beach and the area of East Beach by Mission Creek also fared poorly in this year's Beach Report Card, released by the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay.
The group said Wednesday that water quality at Santa Barbara County beaches during the dry summer months, when they're teeming with swimmers, surfers and splashers, has "declined dramatically" this past year.
Among the cleanest beaches in Santa Barbara County were Ocean Beach, Gaviota State Beach, Sands at Coal Oil Point, Ledbetter Beach, East Beach at Sycamore Creek and Butterfly Beach.
While urban beaches like Arroyo Burro and the Mission Creek area of East Beach commonly have water quality problems, Heal the Bay president Mark Gold said "the biggest surprise" in this year's report for Santa Barbara was the poor grades for more out-of-the-way spots like Refugio State Beach and Hope Ranch Beach.
"Those have been straight 'A's forever," he said. "We're not sure what's going on there."
Willie Brummett, an environmental health specialist with Santa Barbara County, said he's "a little bit disappointed" by the results — and surprised by the water quality problems at the more remote beaches. He said he doesn't know why they got poor grades this year.
"There are always surprises," he remarked.
He's not so surprised by the results at Arroyo Burro Beach, where water quality has long been a concern. Earlier this year, Santa Barbara city officials celebrated the end of a restoration project that's expect to improve water quality there. A culvert was removed, creek banks were stabilized, native vegetation was planted, and a trail and footbridge were added. However, Mr. Brummett suspects that the earth-moving and construction over the past year may have dirtied the water at Arroyo Burro, resulting in poor grades in the 17th annual Beach Report Card.
"In the long term it's obviously a good thing," he said of the restoration efforts there, "but it might have been a problem in the short term."
Arroyo Burro Beach came in ninth on Heal the Bay's list of the 10 "beach bummers" in the state — a list topped by Long Beach and dominated by Los Angeles County Beaches.
There was some good news: Water quality at Santa Barbara County beaches during the last rainy season was better than it has been in the last few years. However Heal the Bay said that's because the county is experiencing a drought, so there's been less runoff than usual polluting local beaches. Rainstorms send water laden with oil, chemicals and bacteria surging down storm drains and creeks that flow into the ocean.
According to Heal the Bay, overall, water quality has been above average in California this past year — mainly due to the dry conditions.
The Beach Report Card is based on water quality data from health agencies and dischargers that monitor bacteria levels in water — an indication of contamination from various sources, including fecal material. The Santa Barbara County's Environmental Health Department tests water quality at county beaches weekly and makes the results available online at www.sbcphd.org/ehs/oceanmn.htm, or by calling 681-4949. |
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