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WHAT STATE IS YOUR BEACH IN? THE BAD AND THE RAD

The Surfrider Foundation State of the Beach "Bad and Rad" are:

  • a collection of startling facts representative of threats to our nation's beaches and
  • programs that are working to protect our shores.


The Bad The Rad
  1. In May 2009 the giant Upper Rouge Tunnel combined sewer overflow control project was canceled by Detroit, Michigan officials worried about residents' ability to pay increased sewer fees to build the $1.2 billion project.
  2. In late September 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger effectively terminated California's landmark AB 411 beach water quality monitoring program by using his line-item veto power to cut all state funding for the program.
  3. As of October 2007, 11 communities in Maine still had a "301 (h) waiver" allowing them to discharge primary treated wastewater into rivers or the ocean. The federal Clean Water Act (written in 1972) required all wastewater treatment facilities to upgrade to secondary treatment by the late 1980s.
  4. On January 24, 2008, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Jackson rescinded an Administrative Order that she issued on January 2, 2007 that protected streams by mandating a 300-foot buffer. The DEP reversal makes it much easier for developers to reduce the buffer to 150 feet, requiring just a local government "equivalence" finding.
  5. Despite existing regulations, coastal development projects in Puerto Rico do not always include a public access component. Additionally, some development projects that retain actual physical access to the coast incorporate perceived barriers to access, such as gates or guards. The relative ease with which developers are able to ignore public access requirements points to the need for improved enforcement.
  6. Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia proposed in late 2007 to eliminate $400,000 of monitoring and assessment projects conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Geological Survey and Old Dominion University for Chesapeake Bay. The cuts contrast with increases in funding in Maryland, where legislators authorized $50 million to clean up pollution in the bay.
  7. Marine life appears to be disappearing rapidly in Washington's Puget Sound. Populations of seabirds, fish (pacific cod, whiting, walleye pollock, salmon), crabs, eelgrass, and tidepool life (sea anemones, sea urchins, sea stars) have plummeted in the last few years. Puget Sound herring contain higher levels of contamination that those in Europe's highly polluted Black Sea. "Dead zones" and extensive fish kills are common in Hood Canal.
  8. Approximately 441,448 acres of North Carolina’s coastal waters are closed to the harvest of shellfish due to high bacteria levels or adjacent potential pollution sources. Approximately 43,188 additional acres are classified as Conditionally Approved and are temporarily closed after periods of heavy rainfall. The percentage of Hewlett’s Creek closed to shellfishing has increased from 54 percent in 1988 to 100 percent today. Pages Creek showed a similar increase, rising from 66 percent to 89 percent closed.
  9. More than 27 billion gallons of combined sewer overflows from 460 sewers aound New York City impact the city's waterways every year. The estimated combined sewer overflow volume for 2006 was 35 billion gallons.
  10. In 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pumped $156 million of sand onto Florida beaches to replace what was washed away by rising sea levels and more intense storms, 20 percent more than the accumulated spending of the seven previous years combined. In nearly the same period, the federal EPA spent less than $300,000 to map how sea-level rise will affect coastal communities in Florida.
  11. Holly Beach, Louisiana has 91 breakwaters and Grande Isle has 36 breakwaters.
  12. Inflexibility by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce Plumbing Program made it very difficult for the Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center to implement a sensible program to use collected rainwater in toilets and will likely discourage others from installing similar systems.
  13. North Carolina's hog farms dump 13 million pounds of hog waste a day into open-air lagoons that are later sprayed on fields as fertilizer.
  14. About 32 percent of the nation's 3,771 monitored beaches reported advisories or beach closings in 2006. There were more than 25,000 closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches during the year. EPA report and NRDC Report
  15. Major sewer spills occurred on Oahu in early 2006. A sewer spill in Honolulu due to a line break released an estimated 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal and closed beaches in Waikiki.
  16. Long Island Sound has few public access points for the 20 million people living within 50 miles of it. The Regional Plan Association estimates that only 20 percent of the shoreline is accessible to the public.
  17. Wastewater treatment plants in Bay City and Saginaw, Michigan dumped more than 333 million gallons of sewage into the Saginaw River in March 2006. Perhaps because of the season, no health advisories were issued by the Bay County Health Department.
  18. In June 2006 the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) entered into an agreement to plead guilty to an indictment charging 15 felony counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) through the illegal discharge of pollutants from nine sanitary wastewater treatment plants and five drinking water treatment plants. PRASA will pay $10 million in criminal and civil fines—the largest fine ever paid by a utility for violating the CWA. In addition, a comprehensive civil settlement was reached between PRASA and the USA resolving repeated environmental violations at 61 wastewater treatment plants throughout the Commonwealth. PRASA will spend $1.7 billion for capital improvement projects and other remedial measures at all of its 61 wastewater treatment plants and related collection systems over the next 15 years.
  19. Male fish with female characteristics have been discovered in ocean waters off Los Angeles and Orange counties, raising concerns that treated sewage released offshore contains hormone-disrupting compounds that are deforming the sex organs of marine life. Eleven male bottom-dwelling fish of two species out of 64 caught between Santa Monica and Huntington Beach had ovary tissue in their testes. Two other studies found other signs of feminized fish in the same ocean areas. See articles summarizing this research that appeared in the L.A. Times and O.C. Register.
  20. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) gave the bay a "D" in their annual report released in November 2005, citing a large oxygen-deprived "dead zone", high levels of nutrients, poor water clarity, and stressed oyster and shad populations. The 2006 and 2007 reports also gave the Bay "D" grades, with "health indexes" of 29 and 28, respectively, as compared to CBF's goal of 40 by 2010.
  21. Today, six of the seven species of marine turtle - hawksbill, Olive ridley, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, loggerhead, and green - are classified as listed as Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered Species Act and fall under the jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  22. In fiscal years 2001/2002, 2002/2003, and 2003/2004, the California Coastal Commission suffered a loss of $3,669,000 in general funds and 33.7 staff positions. Starting from a general fund allocation of $12,107,000 in fiscal year 2000/2001, this translates into losing 30% of the Commission’s general fund budget in just three years. The Governor also vetoed the State legislature’s proposal to add 5 new staff positions (3 limited-term) to address the backlog of access and conservation offers-to-dedicate, many of which are near expiration, and 3 new staff positions for the Energy program in the 2005-06 budget, worsening the Commission’s already serious staffing problems. These losses have very negatively impacted the Commission’s ability to meet its goals and mandates. Only 11 enforcement officers investigate violations along the 1,100-mile coastline, and they haven't had an officer north of San Francisco since 2001. Due to the current (2008) budget crisis, substantial staff cuts have been proposed.
  23. Dutch researchers have used the fulmars to monitor litter in the North Sea, analyzing the stomach contents of hundreds of birds over two decades. In the early 1980s, 92 percent of the fulmars had ingested plastic; on average, 12 pieces. By the late 1990s, 98 percent of bird stomachs contained plastic, an average 31 pieces.
  24. Studies in Southern California have indicated little correlation between the "indicator bacteria" used in beach testing to the pathogens (viruses and protozoa) that actually cause illnesses.
  25. For more than 75 years, shipping companies that haul iron ore, coal, salt and limestone have dumped their ''cargo sweepings'' -- residual materials and wash water left on freighters after they are unloaded -- into the Great Lakes. Despite federal laws and an international treaty that prohibits the practice, U.S. and Canadian freighters empty about 2 million pounds of cargo sweepings into the lakes each year.
  26. Australian researchers have found that sea levels rose by 19.5cm between 1870 and 2004, with accelerated rates in the final 50 years of that period. Over the entire period from 1870 the average rate of rise was 1.44mm per year. Over the 20th Century it averaged 1.7mm per year; while the figure for the period since 1950 is 1.75mm per year. Although climate models predict that sea level rise should have accelerated, the scientists behind this study say they are the first to verify the trend using historical data.
  27. About 23 percent of the nation's estuaries do not meet state and federal clean water standards for swimming, fishing or supporting marine species.
  28. In California, more than 500 dams impound rivers and streams, affecting 38 percent of the coastal watershed (some 16,000 square miles). The dams reduce the average annual sand and gravel flow by 2.8 million cubic meters, or 25 percent of normal. The cumulative sediment loss in California from all human activities is estimated at 1.4 billion cubic meters. The cost to mitigate that loss by beach "nourishment" is estimated at $16.4 billion.
  29. More than 20,000 acres of coastal wetlands and estuaries disappear every year.1
  30. Every eight months, nearly 11 million gallons of oil run off our streets and driveways into our waters—the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.2
  31. More than 60% of our coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded by nutrient runoff. This runoff can create harmful algal blooms and leads to loss of kelp beds, seagrass and coral reefs.3
  32. Coastal areas host over 50% of the total U.S. population within only 17% of the nation’s land area. Between 1994 and 2015, coastal population is projected to increase by 28 million people.4
  33. New York City and New York State recently backtracked on a 1992 legal agreement to improve the sewer system to ensure water quality standards are achieved. The city now plans only limited improvements and to request that the standards themselves be relaxed.
  34. The states of Maryland and Virginia are on a pace to armor some 4,000 miles of tidal shoreline in the next century.
  35. Every day, 37 ocean outfalls in California discharge over 1.5 billion gallons of sewage containing about 120 million tons of mass solids (sewage sludge).
  36. Massive harmful algal blooms, also commonly referred to as "red tides" appeared in 2005 in the Northeast (Maine to Massachusetts) and in the Southeast (Gulf Coast of Florida). Shellfish beds were closed in the Northeast and dead seabirds, fish and marine mammals were reported in Florida.
  37. As much as 80% of the erosion on Florida's East Coast is attributable to the navigation improvements and historical sediment management practices at inlets, which have disrupted the natural flow of sand, virtually starving downdrift beaches.
  38. "Administrative Erosion" is lessening beach access in Hawaii by allowing private property lines to be placed too close to the ocean.6
  39. Over half (52%) of Californians believe the quality of the ocean along the state’s shoreline has deteriorated in the past two decades, and 45% say ocean conditions are likely to worsen over the next 20 years.7
  40. In Florida, there is increasing evidence that the practice of wastewater disposal by deep well injection may be affecting inland and coastal surface waters. Additional water quality concerns are discharges from cruise ships, harmful algal blooms, and antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.8
  41. Although Galveston, Texas has finally belatedly submitted a required Beach Access Plan, there are still many Open Beaches Act violations in Galveston, causing some people to think the beaches are private.9
  42. On Oahu in Hawaii, almost 25% of the sandy shoreline has either significantly narrowed or been lost since the 1940s.10
  43. Jupiter Island, Florida, reportedly the nation's wealthiest town, asked taxpayers around the country (via the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA) to pay for 90% of the sand removed from their beaches by recent hurricanes. Jupiter Island officials submitted a request to FEMA for a $9.1 million project to bring in 1.1 million cubic yards of sand.
  44. New York City has an antiquated law that prohibits ocean recreation at NYC beaches from Labor Day to Memorial Day.11
  45. Neither Duval nor St. Johns Counties in Florida have any formal plan to deal with beach access in the wake of unprecedented growth. Access in Ponte Vedra is made very difficult by lack of parking near access points.12
  46. The US EPA has granted several 301(h) waivers to sewage treatment plants in Puerto Rico, allowing discharge to the ocean of partially-treated sewage.14
  47. The "preferred alternative" to deal with erosion problems in Westport, Washington consists of the placement of 40,000 tons of 12-inch minus gravel and cobble material along approximately 1,000 linear feet of beach in the southwest corner of Half Moon Bay.15
  48. There were 4,644 beach closing/advisory days during 2006 in California. Water testing has detected human adenoviruses, fecal coliform, and other disease-causing bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.16
  49. In California, shoreline armoring increased from about 26 miles to 110 miles from 1971 to 1992, a 400 percent increase in beach destroying seawalls. Two strong El Nino winters have occurred since 1990, undoubtedly adding to this total. In addition, approximately 950 miles of California's 1,120 miles of coastline are actively eroding.17
  50. Despite a presidential policy of "no net loss" of wetlands, Florida has lost 84,000 acres of wetlands in the past 15 years.
  51. Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine and Virginia are the only ocean coastal states covered by Surfrider’s report that do not own the intertidal zone. This fact tends to restrict public beach access in these states.18
  52. Many Texas beaches are eroding at rates of 5 to 10 feet per year--one of the highest coastal erosion rates in the country. Up to 600 feet of additional erosion is possible in the next 25 years.19
  53. Sewage treatment or septic systems are installed in fewer than half the homes of Puerto Rico's 4 million residents.21
  54. Most dry beach areas of Maine’s 4,500-mile coastline are privately owned.22
  55. The amount of shoreline armoring in Maine is estimated to be about 50%. In 1995, 1999 and again in 2004, Maine weakened its retreat policies by allowing seawalls and other shoreline stabilization to be fortified, and by making it easier to rebuild in ocean flood areas after storms.23
  56. On average there is only one public access site for every 10 miles of shoreline in Maine.24
  57. None of the counties participating in the Beach Watch Program in Texas issue closures and the state does not have the authority to do so.25
  1. U.S. Public Law 111-5 includes over $7 billion for drinking water and wastewater projects. The EPA clean water and drinking water state revolving fund (SRF) programs will receive $6 billion, including $4 billion for the clean water SRF. In addition, the Federal FY 2010 budget includes $3.9 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and $475 million for a new Environmental Protection Agency-led, interagency Great Lakes restoration initiative.
  2. In December 2007, Kaua‘i County Council passed a science-based shoreline setback ordinance that mandates a 40-foot minimum setback plus 70 times the annual coastal erosion rate as recommended in the Hawai‘i Coastal Hazard Mitigation Guidebook. Previously, the county required a 40-foot setback with an option for land owners to appeal up to 20 feet.
  3. In February 2008 the Massachusetts House passed H4527, the Ocean Act. The House bill modified legislation passed in September 2007 by the Massachusetts Senate. This is a landmark achievement in a four year campaign to pass the nation's first state Ocean Act. Passage of this law was a top recommendation of a 2004 report by the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force. More info.
  4. Under new rules adopted by North Carolina's Environmental Management Commission in January 2008, developers in 20 coastal counties will have to create wider vegetative buffers along waterways, expanding them from the current 30 feet to 50 feet for new projects. Developments that alter more than a quarter acre of land, up from the current one-acre threshold, will have to use cisterns or permeable pavement or other devices to keep stormwater from washing off the land.
  5. In 2007 the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $20 million for waterfront access projects in an effort to reduce the loss of public access to coastal waterways due to private development.
  6. An encouraging development regarding shoreline armoring in Washington occurred in 2007 when rip rap was removed from the shore at Belfair State Park in the Lower Hood Canal area. This was part of a $2 million estuary restoration project designed to improve both the habitat and the public's ability to enjoy the park. The project included removal of a tidal swimming pool and creation of a sandy beach in its place. A rocky wall was removed to create a walking beach, Little Mission Creek bridge was relocated and a small culvert was replaced to enhance fish passage. Now, kayakers and wind surfers can launch from the beach, which was impossible when rip rap lined the shore.
  7. The Virginia Resources Authority and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality were recognized in late 2007 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for excellent work in the area of water quality protection with a Performance and Innovation in the SRF (Clean Water States Revolving Fund) Creating Environmental Success, or PISCES, award. The award was granted for Virginia's creation of a fund that will provide $250 million per year over five years aimed specifically at improving water quality in Virginia's portion of the Bay watershed. Recognition was also given to Virginia's efforts to provide low-interest loans to farmers so that they can implement best-management practices on their farms that will directly impact water quality.
  8. Hawaii Sea Grant prepared Natural Hazard Considerations for Purchasing Coastal Real Estate in Hawai'i (May 2006).
  9. Georgia's Green Growth Guidelines help local governments, developers, engineers and land planners, landscape architects and natural resource managers compare the environmental, social and economic benefits of using sustainable development strategies with conventional development approaches.
  10. Maryland’s Comprehensive Coastal Inventory Program has mapped shoreline features, including shoreline structures, coastal access, natural features, bank height and condition characterization. There is now a full statewide inventory of the shoreline structures.
  11. The Oregon Coastal Management Program partnered with Oregon Sea Grant to create Living on the Edge, Building and Buying Property on the Oregon Coast. The 25-minute DVD is intended to influence the behavior of prospective coastal property buyers and builders by giving them a "reality check" on the unique risks that come with developing along the ocean shore, and explaining the steps that should be taken to avoid problems.
  12. Eight major environmental organizations, including Surfrider Foundation, authored a report Florida’s Coastal and Ocean Future, A Blueprint for Economic and Environmental Leadership in September 2006 that has now been endorsed by 160 Coastal and Ocean Businesses, Civic, Outdoor, and Conservation Organizations.
  13. North Carolina's NCAC 7H .0312, Technical Standards for Beach Fill Projects, which outlines new sediment criteria rules for beach nourishment projects, went into effect Feb. 1, 2007. It is the most comprehensive set of rules regarding beach nourishment for any coastal state.
  14. A newly updated and expanded edition of Striking a Balance: A Guide to Coastal Dynamics and Beach Management in Delaware, took top honors in the educational brochures category of the 2005 Communicator Awards.
  15. In November 2007 Connecticut received a "blue ribbon" award from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for a pollution credit trading system designed to reduce nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound from wastewater treatment plants. Around the same time, the state legislature approved $415 million in Clean Water Revenue Bonds, which provide loans to cities and towns to upgrade sewage treatment plants.
  16. Starting with the February 2007 meeting, California Coastal Commission meetings are now being broadcast live via the internet through the Coastal Commission Web site. This technology significantly increases public access to the Commission's actions and the issues it deals with. The public also now has the ability to review the broadcasts of previous meetings.
  17. North Carolina Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association gave North Carolina beaches a "B" and public access to beaches an "A" on their 2007 Report Card for the NC Coast.
  18. In November 2006 NJDEP proposed new beach access rules that would repeal the existing Public access to the waterfront rule and replace it with a new Public trust rights rule. The proposed new rule strengthens the Department's existing public access requirements and sets forth specific requirements for Shore Protection Program and Green Acres funding. More info.
  19. Maine recently produced Protecting Maine's Beaches for the Future (2006), A Proposal to Create an Integrated Beach Management Program. This comprehensive and forward thinking document is a must read for beach managers everywhere.
  20. In March 2007 MassDEP revised its Beach Nourishment: Guide to Best Management Practices in Massachusetts, which was developed for those proposing beach fill projects to minimize erosion and potential adverse environmental impacts, to promote the beneficial reuse of clean, compatible, dredge material, and to expedite regulatory review.
  21. Governor Timothy Kaine of Virginia announced in December 2006 that he would introduce legislation authorizing $250 million in bonds to upgrade sewage treatment plants throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The bonds will provide funds to share the costs with localities for installing technologies that will reduce nutrient pollution discharged into Virginia waters. The sewage treatment plant upgrades made possible by these funds will prevent an estimated four million pounds of nitrogen compounds from entering Virginia's rivers that flow into the Bay.
  22. A great new online coastal access resource is University of Wisconsin Sea Grant's Wisconsin Coastal Guide. From this site you can click on "Beaches" and then a particular beach to get a map and for many locations a 360 degree panorama.
  23. New Jersey's Coast 2005 initiative, announced in April 2005, is a comprehensive plan to protect the integrity and economic viability of New Jersey's valuable coastal resources. Under the initiative, the state will strengthen standards and regulations that protect the coastal ecosystem, enhance public access opportunities, expand protection for coastal wildlife and wildlife habitats, and support tourist, seafood and maritime industries.
  24. Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources is administering three wetlands restoration projects funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A 141-acre stretch of wetland, dune and coastal strand will be created at Kaua'i's Mana Plain Coastal Wetlands; 40 acres of degraded weland will be restored at Pouhala Marsh in Pearl Harbor on Oahu; and the state will buy the 78-acre Nu'u Makai Wetland Reserve on the southeast shore on Maui.
  25. The Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey announced the completion of a shoreline change project for the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Region. This study marks the second in a series that will eventually address the Northeast Atlantic Coast, Pacific Coast (California Sandy Shorelines and Historic Cliff Retreat assessments are now available) and parts of Hawaii and Alaska. The first volume was for the Gulf of Mexico.
  26. Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a statewide land conservation organization, announced in August 2006 it had raised more than $100 million to accelerate land conservation on Maine’s coast. Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s “Campaign for the Coast” is the largest land conservation capital campaign in Maine’s history.
  27. 70% of Californians say the condition of the coast is important to them personally, 60% of state residents believe the federal government is not doing enough to protect the coast, and 71% of Californians favor establishing more marine reserves along the coast.
  28. EPA announced a proposal based on a draft by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) that will require wastewater facilities to upgrade and repair their leaky sewage systems, and fully treat sewage unless EPA or a state environmental agency determines there is no feasible way to do so. It also will require facility operators to notify the public and environmental agencies any time they discharge inadequately treated sewage.
  29. The North Carolina General Assembly fully funded the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund for the first time in 2005 by providing a $100 million appropriation.
  30. Two important beach access cases were decided in the public's favor in July 2005. In Michigan, the Supreme Court ruled that the public has access between the water's edge and the ordinary high water mark all along Michigan's 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. In New Jersey, the Supreme Court affirmed an Appeals Court ruling requiring private beach owners to allow reasonably priced public beach access.
  31. Voters in Los Angeles County, California passed a $500 million bond measure in November 2004 to address the problem of non-point source pollution. The money will be used to build filtration plants, install cisterns to recycle storm water, install a system to divert stormwater into groundwater supplies, and install screens and other mechanisms to remove trash from rivers and lakes.
  32. Massachusetts Office of Coast Zone Management in cooperation with retailer IKEA and the Low Impact Development (LID) Working Group developed a green roof plan for a new IKEA furniture store that could capture and filter up to 75% of rooftop runoff. Thus, land area needed for traditional stormwater management devices is significantly reduced, meaning that 30% of the original site plan could remain undisturbed.
  33. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg announced in November 2005 that it had received the first half of a $1.5 million grant to help create a center dedicated to the study, protection and management of coastal environments.
  34. Rhode Islanders passed a $19 million bond in the November 2004 elections that will provide money to upgrade local wastewater treatment facilities and provide municipalities grants to deal with stormwater discharges. As part of the stormwater grant program, beaches have been identified as a top priority.
  35. During 2002, the California Coastal Commission Statewide Coastal Access Program accepted 136 Offers to Dedicate (OTD), providing additional horizontal (along the coast) and vertical (to the coast) access points.26
  36. There are 118 designated Environmental Areas along Michigan’s Great Lakes coastline where beach maintenance cannot be carried out.28
  37. According to a May 2005 press release from the State of Washington Departments of Ecology and Health, "Various state and county agencies and the Surfrider Foundation are working with Ecology and Health to sample the beaches and notify the public of the results, using funding from the federal Environmental Protection Agency."
  38. Rhode Island completed the Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan in 2005. The intent of this plan is to limit development on Greenwich Bay and improve water quality, recreation and fish harvests. The objectives of the plan include increasing the number of homeowners tied to public sewers, reducing the nitrogen discharged from local sewage treatment plants, ending beach closures because of waterborne bacteria by 2010 and opening half the bay to winter or year-round shellfish harvesting by 2020.
  39. The New Jersey Beach Profile Network’s 20-year report contains each volume calculation & shoreline position for 100 sites for every year from 1986 through 2006.29
  40. The Michigan legislature has found that Critical Dune areas of the state are unique, irreplaceable, and fragile resources that provide significant recreational, economic, scientific, geological, scenic, botanical, educational, agricultural, and ecological benefits to the people of Michigan.30
  41. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority developed at $230 million plan to control sewage and storm water contamination of beaches in North Dorchester and South Boston.31
  42. In 2003, water-quality data from about 117 new beach locations in Wisconsin were added to the Beach Health Web site. Maps of beaches by county are available along with other information describing the 2003 Wisconsin Great Lake monitoring efforts. As a result, many beaches that have never been tested are now tested, and the data is available in near-real time to the public.32
  43. A vast majority (88%) of Californians say the condition of the ocean and beaches is personally important to them, with 60% saying it is very important. Strong majorities of Californians also believe the coastline’s condition is very important to the state’s quality of life (69%) and economy (61%).33
  44. Wisconsin DNR staff drove the entire coast of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, identifying 173 public beaches using global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies to geo-locate each beach. County maps show the location of each beach, coastal recreation waters, points of access by the public, length of beach, and possible sources of pollution.34
  45. The update of the Massachusetts Historic Shoreline Change Project provides 1:10,000 scale shoreline change maps and accompanying data tables that show the relative positions of four or five historic shorelines and depict the long-term change rates at 40-meter intervals along the shore. The Massachusetts Geographic Information System (MassGIS) incorporated the maps and data tables into the Shoreline Change Browser.36
  46. Recognizing the "increasing demand for our State’s beach and the dynamic nature of the public trust doctrine," the New Jersey Supreme Court found that the public must be given both access to and use of privately owned dry sand areas.37
  47. Connecticut has completed biodiversity inventories for sandy beaches. An Ecoregions Study of the coast conducted in the 1970s evaluated beaches and dunes. DEP is presently beginning a 2-year survey of beach invertebrates.38
  48. 90% of the 362 miles of ocean coastline in Oregon is open to the public. There is one public beach access site for about every half mile of coastline.39
  49. The South Carolina Code of Laws includes provisions requiring communities to prepare comprehensive beach management plans. These plans include an inventory of public beach access sites and associated parking, as well as a plan for enhancing public access and parking.40
  50. On the dunes of barrier beaches in Rhode Island, residential or non-water dependent structures that are more than 50% destroyed may not be rebuilt regardless of insurance carrier coverage.41
  51. North Carolina DCM staff estimates that although only 40% of coastal lands are publicly owned, about 95% of "private" beaches are publicly accessible. They indicate that there are coastal access points about every one-half mile in urban areas and every two miles in rural areas.42
  52. Oregon has created a Coastal Atlas Web site, which is an interactive, searchable, downloadable archive of geospatial data. It includes mapping and decision support tools.43
  53. Hawaii boasts more than 1,600 recognized surf spots, all beaches in Hawaii are publicly owned, and public beach access is plentiful.44
  54. Beach tourism contributes approximately $15 billion a year to Florida's economy.45
  55. Under average conditions, fecal coliform bacteria in New York harbor have decreased by as much as 98 percent since 1974. This is primarily the result of improved sewage treatment and abatement of illegal discharges.46
  56. Since 1976, the California Coastal Conservancy has spent over $200 million to support projects that purchase, protect, restore, and enhance coastal resources.47
  57. From 1990 to 1999, Florida spent more than $835 million to purchase land that increases the public’s access to the coast.48
  58. All beaches in Hawaii (with the exception of some military installations) are publicly owned.49
  59. Michigan law requires that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality conduct erosion studies to document the long-term rate of shoreline movement.50
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