64% of Beaches Tested Failed to Meet State Health
Standards at Least Once in 2023
SAN
CLEMENTE, Calif., May 22, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start
to summer, the Surfrider Foundation is releasing its 2023 Clean
Water Report. This comprehensive annual report describes the
threats from stormwater runoff and untreated sewage polluting our
ocean, waves, and beaches, as well as the efforts of Surfrider's
nationwide network of volunteers to test coastal waters and
mitigate pollution through their Blue Water Task Force and Ocean
Friendly Gardens program. The report also features Surfrider's top
ten priority polluted beaches where volunteers are measuring
bacteria levels that could be putting public health at risk. Case
studies illustrate how Surfrider's chapter network is leveraging
their clean water programs to advocate for pollution solutions to
help keep you and your family safe at the beach.
64% of Beaches Tested Failed to Meet State
Health Standards at Least Once in 2023
Since the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984, improving
coastal water quality has been one of the organization's top
priorities. Through their Clean Water Initiative, Surfrider chapter
volunteers strive to protect water quality and reduce pollution by
building public awareness of water pollution problems and
advocating for solutions to protect clean water and healthy coastal
ecosystems.
Nearly 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff flow
into U.S. waterways every year, carrying a cocktail of pollutants
including road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other
chemicals. Years of neglect and underfunding have also left
America's outdated wastewater infrastructure in disrepair,
threatening coastal water quality by discharging raw and
undertreated sewage into our local waterways and ocean at a rate of
over 900 billion gallons every year. This untreated sewage can
contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites that make people sick with
gastrointestinal symptoms, rashes, skin and eye infections,
flu-like symptoms, and worse. Sewage and stormwater runoff also
pollute waterways with excess nutrients, wreaking havoc on coastal
ecosystems by fueling harmful algal blooms that put human health at
risk and result in fish kills and coral reef die-offs.
"Everyone deserves access to clean water to surf, swim, and play
in. That's why Surfrider advocates for strong laws and sufficient
funding to monitor and protect water quality. We ensure that people
have access to the information they need to protect themselves and
the health of their families when recreating at the beach and in
our coastal waterways," explains Mara
Dias, Surfrider's Water Quality Initiative Senior Manager.
"When we see information gaps in government testing programs that
leave public health unprotected, we seek to meet those community
needs with our Blue Water Task Force water quality monitoring
program. And when more collaborative approaches fail, the Surfrider
Foundation has the expertise to bring issues to the courts to
ensure proper enforcement of the Clean Water Act to protect clean
water for all people."
The Surfrider Foundation is not only testing the water, but it
is also leading the nationwide Ocean Friendly Gardens program that
is educating communities and local officials on the actions that
can be taken in our yards and public spaces to reduce the amount of
polluted runoff that flows into our local waterways and out to the
ocean.
The growing threats from climate change to our coasts, including
sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events that
generate massive amounts of stormwater, are already causing water
infrastructure failures and sewage spills with increasing
frequency. Significant investments need to be made now to prepare
our coastal communities to become more resilient and to better
manage our water resources. This is necessary to protect the health
of more than 100 million beachgoers who flock to U.S. beaches every
year and the booming coastal tourism economy that contributes
$140 billion to our national
economy.
About the Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization
dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean,
waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist
network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in
Malibu, California, the Surfrider
Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists,
and members, with more than 200 volunteer-led chapters and student
clubs in the U.S., and more than 800 victories protecting our
coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.
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SOURCE Surfrider Foundation