Students heading out to the beach may want to steer clear of the water.
According to Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card, five local Long Beach beaches are currently under advisory warnings due to high levels of bacterial pollution that may cause stomach flu, colds and skin rashes.
Coronado Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Granada Avenue, 10th Place and 50 yards West of Belmont Pier are the same five beaches that were listed as open with an “A” grade by the same organization only one week prior.
Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card grades more than 500 California beaches based on data derived from a city’s water quality reports. The beaches are graded A to F based on bacterial levels and the impending risk of illness.
The Health Department’s Environmental Health Water Quality Monitoring Program collects weekly samples for the City of Long Beach, according to the city’s website. The samples are analyzed at the Department of Health and Human Services Public Lab, and results are usually posted within 24 hours.
State standards allow a set amount of bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, Mike Grimmer, program manager for Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card, said. When a sample shows an abnormally high amount of bacteria, the water is re-tested until it meets state standards.
The online reports for the months of August and September show three-day blocks of analyses where the bacterial levels rise and fall drastically. The beach at 56th Place on Bayside had more than ten times the allowed level of bacterial pollution on Sept. 5, and the next day had an open beach rating with levels far below state standards. However, it is common to see an off sample, Grimmer said.
“When drastic swings in bacterial levels start to become a trend, it’s a red flag,” he said.
Undeclared sophomore Emelie Holst, an international student from Sweden, said she came to California to study because she had grown up watching movies and dreamed of being on the beaches in sunny Southern California. When she arrived, she was disappointed.
“[I found] beaches littered with trash and water that left a slimy film running down my legs,” she said.
According to Heal the Bay website, the California coastal economy is valued at $43 billion annually and depends largely on the tourism and recreation industries. Dangerous levels of bacterial pollution are harmful to the health of the public and the marine life trying to survive in a threatened ecosystem.
Anyone can access water quality reports on the City of Long Beach Website, as well as the beach report card available on Heal the Bay’s website. Grades are posted every Friday.