July 30

American beaches saw the second most closing and advisory days due to sewage spills and overflows in 18 years, according to a report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The 18th annual report, "Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches," relied on data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2007, the number of closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 for the third straight year, but was lower than in 2006.

There were 4,097 closing and advisory days due to sewage spills in 2007, triple the number in 2006. Storm water continued to be the largest source of pollution, causing more than 10,000 closing and advisory days. Unknown pollution sources led to more than 8,000, according to the report, available at www.nrdc.org/beaches.

"Some families can´t enjoy their local beaches because they are polluted and kids are getting sick, largely because of human and animal waste in the water," said Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC´s clean water project. "What this report means for families heading to the beach is they need to be careful and do a little homework."

Contact Waste News reporter Joe Truini at (330) 865-6166 or jtruini@crain.com

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