Pollution drops at North Coast beaches, thanks to drought

Ocean beaches on the North Coast and across California are cleaner and safer from disease than they’ve been in years, a rare upside to the drought.

Lack of rainfall means fewer pollutants are washing down streams and into the ocean where swimmers and surfers play, according to Heal the Bay, an environmental group that for 25 years has generated annual beach report cards based on its analysis of bacterial tests reported by local health agencies.

“They all were pretty much fantastic during the summer dry months,” said James Alamillo, a water quality scientist and lead author of the report, which is based on weekly bacterial monitoring at 443 beaches across the state. The report considers the frequency and magnitude of episodes of contamination with both fecal and non-fecal coliform bacteria and enterococcus, an intestinal bacteria.

Potential illnesses include stomach upset, eye and ear infections, upper respiratory infections and full body skin rashes, according to the report.

About 95 percent of California beaches received A or B grades, up from the five-year average of about 85 percent, Alamillo said.

Some 93 percent of all West Coast beaches that are tested for bacteria received top ratings for last summer, according to the report, released Wednesday. The results were similar to those from 2013, Alamillo said.

The current California summer report cards are based on bacterial testing conducted between April and October of 2014.

Report cards for winter and wet-weather months - which include tests in late 2014 and early 2015 - did not fare as well, despite some improvements.

“Almost a quarter (of beaches) monitored during wet weather failed outright,” an indication that more needs to be done to eliminate pollution sources, Alamillo said.

All seven beaches monitored in Sonoma County and four of six beaches where tests are conducted in Mendocino County got As for last summer. The worst grade in Mendocino County was a C bestowed on Hare Creek, just south of Fort Bragg.

Neither county conducts tests in the winter months, when the bacterial counts tend to be the highest, Alamillo said. That means surfers, kayakers and others who utilize those beaches during that time are getting no warning that they may be exposed to potentially sickening bacteria, he said.

“That’s the importance of having monitoring,” Alamillo said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. ?On Twitter @MendoReporter.