Beach Closing Information

["Richard L Whitman" <richard_whitman@usgs.gov>]

Thanks Julia for passing this alone to us.  Our members seem to be in the
news these days.  Hats off to Sandra McLellan.





Thought you might like to see this information.  I don't know how to write
to Richard Whitman or I would've also sent to him.

Christy


EARTHWATCH RADIO        Program script for 8 November 2002
Title: Testing the Waters                 Author: John Karl
The water at public beaches can draw hordes of swimmers and a lot of
bacteria, too.
--------------------------------------------------------
Signs that say "No Swimming" are popping up more than ever at public
beaches. The water isn't necessarily more polluted these days. But it is
getting tested more often, and people are finding more signs of
contamination than they expected.

The problem is most often bacteria, and apparently they're coming from
human and animal waste. But exactly how those bacteria get into the water
is often a mystery. A recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency says that in half of the beach closings and advisories issued during
2001, the sources of bacteria were unknown.

Sandra McLellan is an environmental toxicologist at the University of
Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She's helping develop techniques that use DNA to
find the origins of this beachfront bacteria. McLellan says rain storms or
melting snow can carry bacteria from parking lots, streets and rooftops
into storm sewers and ultimately into rivers and lakes.

"If you look at the amounts of bacteria that are carried in storm water
runoff, they can be significantly high in a very large area. Almost every
community has some kind of storm water system that puts the storm water
into the rivers and subsequently the lake."
McLellan says sometimes the problems are right next to the beach.

"Local sources, such as waterfowl roosting or storm water runoff from
pavement, can really impact that small amount of water we're testing. It
doesn't take much to drive up those numbers, you know, those numbers of
bacteria in that water that's right next to the shoreline."

McLellan says we're likely to hear more about water quality and swimming
safety in coming years. Federal law now requires states to develop
comprehensive monitoring plans for their beaches.

SOURCES:

"Beaches" Website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/

Fact sheet, "EPA's BEACH Watch Program: 2001 Swimming Season,"
www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/2001surveyfs.pdf

"Beach Closings and Advisories Rise in 2001," Natural Resources Defense
Council:
www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/nttw.asp

"Beach Pollution," FAQ from Natural Resources Defense Council:
www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/qttw.asp








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