The Associated Press photos
A sign warns swimmers to avoid the water next to a storm drain outfall Wednesday at Will Rogers State Beach at the foot of Temescal Canyon in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades area.

A piece of rusty pipe and debris washed down Malibu Creek are seen Wednesday at Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach in Malibu, Calif. A report released Wednesday said beach closures in the United States, about a third of which involved pollutants due to sewage and storm drain runoff, doubled in 2000 over 1999.

Sewage-related beach closures double

Washington removed from 'beach bums' list after filling out, turning in survey

OLYMPIAN STAFF, WIRE REPORTS

Originally published August 9, 2001

The nation's beaches were closed due to sewage nearly twice as often last year as the year before, an environmental group said Wednesday.

Beaches in the state of Washington improved last year -- at least on paper.

A nationwide survey released by the Natural Resources Defense Council cites 11,270 beach closings and advisories in 2000, with 85 percent due to elevated bacteria counts that exceeded federal swimmer safety standards.

The group wants the Bush administration to implement new federal water quality standards, announced just before President Clinton left office.

"They've been put on hold indefinitely," said Nancy Stoner, director of the NRDC's clean water program. "It's time to clean up our impaired waters."

While the high bacteria levels were due mainly to increased rain and more frequent municipal and state monitoring, the council's 11th annual report also points to a 40 percent increase in the number of beaches reporting pollution problems from unknown sources.

The survey singles out Oregon and Louisiana as "beach bums" for a second year in a row for failing to regularly monitor their coastlines.

Texas and Washington had been in that category last year, but were removed for having limited monitoring.

Washington was included among the beach bums because state officials did not take the time to fill out a survey form.

The state was removed from the list when the survey was returned, said Gary Fraser, water recreation program manager with the Washington Department of Health.

Five or six counties have monitoring programs, he said.

Thurston County monitors water quality trends, but not specifically bathing beaches, said Darrell Cochran, senior environ- mental health specialist with Thurston County.

The county has a public education program aimed at preventing illness from swimming at public beaches. Beach closures in recent years have been the result of algae blooms, he said.

On the Web

Department of Natural Resources (www.wa.gov/dnr)

Department of Ecology (www.ecy.wa.gov)

Department of Fish and Wildlife (www.wa.gov/wdfw)

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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