Grades suggest it’s safe to go back in the water

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Like riots on the Fourth of July, the days of getting sick from

going in the ocean may be in the past.

When Heal the Bay released its fourth annual grading of

California’s beaches, seven of Surf City’s 10 listed beaches received

an A or A+.

Founded in 1985, Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental group

devoted to seeing the waters of California cleaned up for safe

swimming and fishing.

This annual beach report card covers 404 monitoring stations in

California, 107 of them in Orange County. Samples were taken from

June 1 through Sept. 30. The group assigns grades of A through F

based on the risk to ocean swimmers.

Of Surf City’s 10 beaches sampled, the only beaches not to get an

A grade were Huntington State Beach at the power plant south of

Newland Street (C), Huntington State Beach at Magnolia Street (F) and

Huntington State Beach at Brookhurst Street (B).

None of Huntington’s beaches were on the group’s notorious “Beach

Bummers” list.

Even having gotten an F, the beach at Magnolia Street was not

listed among the worst, although nearby 43rd Street beach in Newport

was.

All four of the city beaches sampled were given As. Both locations

sampled at Bolsa Chica State Beach earned As.

There were, however, six sewage spills in Orange County that led

to the discharge of about 5,500 gallons of sewage into the ocean.

While the news in Surf City is mostly good, the problem of ocean

pollution is by no means solved. Urban runoff, sewage spills and the

Orange County Sanitation District’s plume are still issues that need

our attention.

The sanitation district must keep its word and fully treat the

sewage it releases off our shores. The city has worked on new methods

to clean up the run-off from the city and the state needs to follow

suit with its storm drains.

Residents need to do their part and watch what is thrown into

gutters and washed into storm drains through car washing and lawn

watering.

But for all those people who knock our beaches here in Surf City

-- I would have you note our rather impressive report card.