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Two beaches along Florida's Scenic Highway 30A were among those receiving low rankings in a recent NRDC study on water quality and monitoring.
Print Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com By Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com
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on June 28, 2013 at 3:31 PM
While the Natural Resources Defense Council's recent study of water quality and monitoring practices at vacation beaches gave Alabama's beaches high marks, the Florida Panhandle beaches did not fare so highly.
All four Alabama beaches rated in the study received either four or five stars based on the following criteria (one star for each):
Less than 5 percent of water samples exceeded national standards for bacteria content in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Less than 5 percent of water samples exceeded national standards in 2012.
Local officials post advisories without re-sampling.
Closings/advisories are posted online and at the beach.
Water quality monitored more than once a week.
Of the 18 beaches included between Pensacola and Apalachicola, only one, St. George Island in Apalachicola, reached four-star status. Casino Beach and Quietwater Beach of Pensacola Beach/Santa Rosa Island each received three stars, as did the Navarre Beach Pier.
That leaves 14 beaches along the Panhandle receiving just one or two stars, according to the NRDC's ranking system. All 18 Panhandle beaches lost a star for not monitoring water quality more than once per week. Only four Panhandle beaches -- St. George Island and three in Panama City Beach -- earned a star for posting advisories without re-sampling water quality.
Water samples at public beaches are measured by state and local authorities through funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's BEACH Act program. The samples are tested for presence of E. coli and enterococci bacteria, which are found in the lower intestines of warm-blooded animals and indicate fecal contamination. Water that tests above the national standard levels for either is immediately re-tested and after a second positive test, advisories are issued that swimming in those waters could result in serious illness.
Bacterial concentrations in recreational waters can increase during and immediately following rainstorms due to overflowing sewage collection and treatment facilities, storm water runoff, malfunctioning septic systems and agricultural runoff.
The map in the full NRDC report shows how many days such advisories were in effect at each beach and whether the advisories were the result of a single long-term incident or were recurring throughout the year.
