Beaches receive high marks

Dave Brooks

Surf City’s beaches made the grade again this year during the tourist

off-season, but rainy weather continues to create problems for water

quality throughout Orange County.

With the exception of the waters between Brookhurst Street and the

Santa Ana River mouth, all beaches in Surf City were given an A grade

during dry weather in the biannual Heal the Bay Beach Report Card.

The portion of Huntington State Beach near the intersection of

Brookhurst Street and Pacific Coast Highway was given a B grade,

while the Santa Ana River mouth received a C grade.

Wet weather conditions, however, continue to plague Huntington

Beach. On rainy days, every beach in Surf City was given an “F” grade

due to high-bacteria levels tied to urban runoff. Throughout Orange

County, nearly the entire coastline was given failing grades during

wet weather months, save for a few undeveloped spots south of

Huntington Beach near Crystal Cove State Beach. Throughout the state,

95% of California’s beaches received F grades during wet weather

“This season’s record rainfall in Southern California has had a

predictable impact on coastal water quality -- this was the worst wet

weather water quality on record,” Heal the Bay Executive Director

Mark Gold wrote in a statement announcing the grades. “Clearly,

California’s efforts to reduce storm water pollution to protect

public health have been woefully inadequate.”

Despite the bad news during wet weather, the dry season grades for

Huntington Beach represent an ongoing trend toward improvement --

Huntington Beach received one more A grade than it had six months

ago. Plagued with ongoing beach closures during the late 1990s, city

leaders have gradually improved water quality by teaming up with

officials from the Orange County Sanitation District to treat water

from the district’s outfall pipeline. Huntington Beach’s Public Works

Department have also launched a series of storm water diversion

facilities to treat runoff before it hits the ocean.