It was with great sadness that this writer read the message from Surfrider yesterday. It stated:
"When President Obama released his recent budget proposal, it stated that he would eliminate funding for beach water testing and reporting programs. As the Environmental Director of the Surfrider Foundation and as a father of two young boys who surf and swim in the ocean nearly every day, I’m deeply concerned. I’m sure you are too.
President Obama called for the elimination of the program that provides grants to “develop and implement programs to inform the public about the risk of exposure to disease-causing microorganisms in the water at the nation’s beaches.”
With 24,091 beach closures and advisories issued across the country last year, it is clear why all who live along the coastlines, as well as those who partake of it's pleasures it offers, all rely on water quality monitoring and reporting to ensure that the water we recreate in is safe!
While it's unclear what the exact consequences of the lack of funding will be at the local and state level, possible implications include:
- Entire states may stop all of their beach water quality monitoring.
- Many states will significantly curtail their monitoring programs. Some beaches will not be covered anymore or will be tested less often and many states could drop monitoring all together during the offseason (when surfers tend to dominate ocean use and some places, like Florida, don't really have an 'off' season).
- The water quality standards set by the BEACH Act may be ignored and less protective standards may be used.
Space Coast residents should expect enjoyable and worry-free beach days. The pristine beaches are a huge draw for tourists and the economic climate of the Space Coast needs tourism now more than ever. The proposed budget is planning to take away our right to know if a simple day at the beach could make us sick!
Florida Today newspaper reported on February 18, that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]: "Children and others who dig in the sand are twice as likely to get sick from bacteria than those who don't....EPA has guidelines for monitoring beach water but not the sand." But if the EPA stops testing our beach water, where does that leave us? Wearing combat boots instead of slip flops when walking the beach?
Florida Today also points out that the President's proposed budget " would cut the $10 million that EPA distributes to states annually for beach water testing, about $500,000 of which goes to Florida."
The Florida Department of Health and the Florida Healthy Beaches Program currently tests water quality at ten Brevard beach locations. However, in August of 2011, Florida health officials announced they would stop weekly tests for bacteria at 58 beaches statewide, including Patrick Air Force Base. The measure saved more than $500,000 a year. Florida Today reports, however, that " For the first time since 2000, Brevard County this year is no longer conducting wintertime bacteria testing of ocean water at nine local beaches." After reading that, how many 'snowbirds' and other vacationers will be as eager to come to the Space Coast?
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Foundation is a grassroots organization whose mission is " the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves, and beaches through a powerful activist network. " As the name implies, the organization was started by surfers but local chapters have members who are under age ten and over eighty years old. Some have never been on a surfboard and simply enjoy the beach and waterways. Since it's inception in 2006, Surfrider can claim 181 victories - that translates to changing existing legislation for such concerns as beach access, coastal preservation and clean water. Receiving no government funding whatsoever, Surfrider tests water and more, then issues reports that are available for all. When the government stopped testing the water from the Gulf of Mexico, believing the oil spill to have dissipated, Surfrider continues to test the water and report.
Surfrider has 81 chapters in the U.S. and nine countries. The Space Coast is home to two chapters, Cocoa Beach and Sebastian Inlet. For those readers who are not ready to accept the 'Swim at your own health risk' signs, Surfrider offers an organized way to help.
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