Photo: Newman Brackin Wayside Park
Four of the 12 top most polluted beaches in the U.S. are in Florida. This is according to the annual beach water quality report, ”Testing the Waters’ released recently by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The four beaches are: Venice Public Beach, Venice, Sarasota; Bay View Park in Escambia; Newman Brackin Wayside Park in Okaloosa and Monument Beach in Gulf, Florida.
Contamination of the beaches and water arise on account of several factors, including sewage spills and overflows, elevated bacteria levels from miscellaneous sources such as boat discharges or wildlife.
In 2008, the number of closing and advisory days reached over 20,000 at ocean, bay and Great Lake beaches because of high levels of bacteria and pollutants in the waters.
The Report also provides information of the top 200 of the nation’s most popular beaches based on beach water quality, frequency of monitoring and public notification.
Beach goers who swim in contaminated waters are at risk for contracting a variety of illnesses such as skin rashes, pinkeye, respiratory infections, meningitis and hepatitis.
Perhaps the best way to protect beach goers from water contamination is to implement and enforce better controls on pollution sources. The measures, according to the Report include, green roofs that use absorbent vegetation on top of buildings, permeable pavements that allow water to penetrate the material, thereby eliminating polluted water runoff into waterways and oceans.
