Beach Water Quality High, California Beaches Improved

Heal the Bay’s 2007 California Summer Beach Report Card™ provides beachgoers with essential water quality information by grading 494 monitoring locations, from Humboldt County to San Diego County.

The grades are based on dry weather water quality data provided by more than 20 different entities throughout California. The data presented in this report was collected from Memorial Day weekend (5/26/07) through Labor Day weekend (9/3/07). This report is intended to give an overview of California’s beach water quality during the summer of 2007.

The Beach Report Card is based on the routine monitoring of beaches conducted by local health agencies and dischargers. Water samples are analyzed for bacteria that indicate pollution from numerous sources, including fecal waste. The better the grade a beach receives, the lower the risk of illness to ocean users. The report does not measure the amount of trash or toxins found at beaches.

The Beach Report Card would not be possible without the cooperation of all of the shoreline monitoring agencies in the state. - Source: Heal The Bay