Image via HealTheBay.org. Blue dots indicate an A or B grade, yellow dots indicate a C grade, and red dots indicate a D or F grade. (Gray dots did not provide samples.)
2:00pm | Water quality along the coast of Long Beach is improving, says the annual Beach Report Card from locally-based organization Heal The Bay. Released today, the report dedicated several paragraphs to analyzing the past and future of Long Beach water quality.
All Long Beach ocean beaches received a C-grade or better in this year’s report during the AB411 time period. During year-round dry weather, 53% of Long Beach beaches received a C-grade or better (Los Angeles County average is 85% with A or B-grades), a vast improvement over recent years where the city’s beaches were commonly listed in the report’s “Beach Bummer” series. This year, only the water in Colorado Lagoon qualified as a “Beach Bummer.” (Could that have been due to some pretty severe sewage spills that occured in the lagoon in the past year?)
Basically, it’s all relative. The city’s scores have improved, although they are still below County average. Fewer of the city’s beaches appear on the “Beach Bummer” list, although one of the most popular beaches in the city ranks #6 on the list. For every positive note, it should also be noted – as the report does – that the city monitored ten fewer locations than last year due to cost-cutting.
But based on the report, Long Beach waters have done a lot to improve, and the report acknowledges that the city has discovered and repaired many leaking or disconnected sewage pipes and improperly working storm drain diversions, which has helped improve the city’s water quality score.
In the end, though, it all comes back to the Los Angeles River. It always does. The report takes a hard stance:
Ultimately however, L.B. water quality will be directly tied to rainfall amounts and runoff volumes from the L.A. River. Heal the Bay is currently advocating for a tight compliance timeline in the draft Los Angeles River Bacteria TMDL to ensure that Long Beach’s beaches do not remain impacted for many years to come. The current draft L.A. River fecal bacteria TMDL from the Regional Water Board allows 25 years to comply with water quality standards in both dry and wet weather – far too long for Long Beach residents and visitors to wait for clean water.
Last year, beaches throughout the city ranked very poorly, though it was noted that Long Beach was taking crucial steps forward to improve the situation. That eventually led to this lbpost.com feature in June, which chronicled how the city is investing money into improving water quality in stormdrains and along the Los Angeles River.
Click here to download the full report. Detailed Long Beach information begins on page 26.
Much more to come…