California’s Bays and Beaches: A Precious Human, Ecological and Economic ResourceCalifornia's 1,100 miles of coastline that lines our shores are a precious human, ecological and economic resource. A Resource on the Human Scale An early morning surfer in Malibu....A sea otter playing in Monterey
Bay...A sunbather lounging on a San Diego beach, bays and beaches are
central to what we love about California. Californians feel an
emotional connection with our bays and beaches. A 2006 Public Policy
Institute of California poll found that an impressive nine out of ten
Californians feel that the beach and ocean is just as important to them
personally as well as for the overall quality of life and economy in
the state. This connection extends well past the coast and into Inland
California. 92 percent of Inland California residents surveyed in the
poll stated that the condition of ocean and beaches is very or somewhat
important to the quality of life in California. Love for the ocean and
beach also extends past ethnic lines. in fact, more Latinos (67
percent) than whites (60 percent) say that ocean and beach conditions
are very important to them personally (1). An Ecological Resource Home to beloved creatures like sea otters, whales, sea turtles and pelicans, our bays and beaches are ecological treasures that provide homes to countless animal and plant species. The enormous kelp beds off the coast of Southern California, for example, are the second most biodiverse communities known to exist in the ocean (2). An Economic Resource This emotional connection translates directly into dollars - Recreation and tourism at our beaches drive the coastal economy and make up a large part of the state’s economic activity. Conservative estimates of beach visits each year in California exceed 150 million.(3) In 2001, tourism-related expenditures in coastal counties exceeded $58 billion and economic activity generated by beach recreation and tourism surpassed $80 billion.(4) Our Bays and Beaches Threatened: A Tide of PollutionDespite their importance, California’s bays and beaches are severely polluted with bacteria, trash, toxic chemicals, and a host of other threats to humans and wildlife. In 2006, UCLA and Stanford researchers found that 1.5 million people get sick each year swimming off the coast of Los Angeles and Orange County alone.(5) This pollution also threatens otters, sea turtles and other ocean wildlife. Plastic marine debris impacts 86 percent of all sea turtle species and 44 percent of all sea bird species.(6) Pollution also translates into economic impacts. In 2005, pollution caused over 5,000 beach closings and advisories in California.(7) These closings translate into fewer visits to the beach. Initial findings of a study conducted by researches at UC Berkeley, UC Davis and USC found that beach closings at Hermosa Beach in Orange County, for example, resulted in a 45 percent decrease in beach attendance.(8) According to the State Water Resources Control Board, beach attendance in Los Angeles County has dropped by 56 percent since 1983.(9) Pollution of our bays and beaches come from several different sources but by far, the single largest source is urban runoff. Urban runoff is largely created when rain hits impermeable pavement in poorly planned developments and, instead of percolating into the ground, picks up the bacteria, trash, toxic metals and other pollutants that accumulate in parking lots, roads and lawns. This ‘urban slobber’ then courses through our roads in mini ‘rivers of pollution’ into storm drains and out directly into our waterways and eventually the ocean. Runoff dumps so much bacteria and toxic chemicals into our ocean waters that the California Department of Health Services warns swimmers to stay out of the ocean for three days after it rains. Solution: Reduce urban runoff, clean up our beaches The good news is that effective solutions to reducing runoff and
other sources of bay and beach pollution exist. Stopping urban runoff
pollution, in fact, could prevent up to 800,000 cases of illness and
save up to $28 million in health costs for Los Angeles County alone
each year.(10) There are three main ways to address urban runoff: 1) prevent runoff
from new development, 2) minimize runoff from existing development and
3) reduce the most harmful pollutants, at the source, found in our
oceans waters. Through a series of regulations and incentive programs California
can cut urban runoff by 80 percent, all the while creating a market of
green building developments and attracting green industry to the state.
Prevent Runoff from New Development The most important step is to reduce the amount of polluted runoff that enters the waters off our coast. We can do that by creating more green spaces along roads that allow stormwater to filter into the ground before it enters storm drains; and by building new developments with green technology that prevents any new stormwater from flowing into our oceans. Reduce Runoff from Existing Development While many surfaces – from rooftops to parking lots – create the ‘impervious surface’ that generate urban runoff, the transportation sector is a central conduit of this pollution into storm drains and the major source of toxic chemicals like lead, zinc and copper. A Wisconsin study, for example, found that 80 percent of the runoff generated by commercial areas and 54 percent of the runoff generated in residential area in two Wisconsin cities is generated by parking lots and roads. To catch and filter runoff from roads before it hits storm drains, the cities of Portland and Seattle have conducted several studies and are poised to launch citywide ‘Green Streets’ programs that will retrofit roads with green spaces that allow stormwater to filter into the ground rather than run into storm drains. Pilot projects in these cities have been so successful that neighborhoods are calling, unsolicited, with requests to join the program. In addition to reducing runoff from development, several other policy measures can generate funds to prevent runoff pollution and increase protections for our ocean and beaches. (a) Reduce the use of pollutants commonly found in polluted runoff.
One of the most commonly found ocean and beach pollutants found in
cleanups is Styrofoam and other plastics. To protect wildlife from
ingesting this dangerous material and save cities cleanup costs, we
should require significant reductions in the use of Styrofoam and the
generation of plastic waste. Bans on Styrofoam have already been
enacted in a dozen cities cross the country, including Oakland, CA. NOTES1. Mark Baldassare, “Californians and the Environment”, Public Policy Institute of California, February 2006 |
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Clean Bays, Clean Beaches |