EPA and LA Water Board Set Strict New Pollution Reduction Plans for 175 Waterways in Los Angeles Area

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2012Media Contacts:
Nahal Mogharabi, EPA, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov
Deborah Smith, LA Water Quality Board, 213-576-6609, Dsmith@waterboards.ca.gov  

EPA and LA Water Board Set Strict New Pollution Reduction Plans for 175 Waterways in Los Angeles Area
Action Culminates 13 Year Effort, Eliminating Beach Closures, Reducing Trash and Toxic Chemicals in Waters

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board today announced the latest in a series of pollution reduction plans designed to restore 175 water bodies in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The pollution targets set by these plans will improve water quality, restore ecosystems, and protect the public by eliminating beach closures due to bacteria and improving the health of fish used for consumption.

“EPA and our partners have achieved a breakthrough on the path toward restoring the health of Los Angeles’ creeks, streams, and beaches,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These precious natural resources lay at the heart of what makes the Golden State shine.”

The Los Angeles region is home to a vast network of streams, lakes, rivers, and beaches used for fishing and recreation. The pollution plans call for reductions in the amount of bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus, mercury, pesticides and other toxic chemicals that affect these waterways.  More than 95% of the impaired waters will meet applicable water quality standards once the pollution reduction plans are fully implemented.

“I am proud to acknowledge achievements that are leading to healthier watersheds for the benefit of the people and wildlife who call the Los Angeles area home.” said Maria Mehranian, Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.  “This wave of water quality improvement is the result of tremendous efforts by this Board, past Boards, and EPA in collaboration with local municipalities and environmental organizations.”

Under the federal Clean Water Act, states are required to develop pollution reduction plans for waters that are impaired by pollutants.  These plans are called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), and must be approved by the EPA. 

 “Los Angeles’ relationship to water is a historic one. We are known for our beaches and were founded because of the LA River,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The U.S. EPA and the Regional Water Board have been strong partners as we work to protect our rivers, streams, and waterways. We applaud the U.S. EPA and the Regional Water Board for continuing to prioritize water quality and safety in Los Angeles.”

Today’s announcement is a  part of a 1999 legal settlement between EPA and local environmental groups  in which EPA committed to approve LA Water Board-developed TMDLs or independently establish TMDLs for a list of water bodies in the Los Angeles Region.  As a result of the consent decree, 47 TMDLs have been established for 175 water bodies that address numerous pollutant impairments including elevated bacteria, metals, pesticides, PCBs and trash.  Additional TMDLs will be approved or established within the next year.

 “The consent decree put Los Angeles and Ventura counties on track for having oceans and rivers that are safe for swimming and fishing year round,” said Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s Water Quality Director.  “The implementation of these requirements has already led to less trash in local rivers and bays and cleaner beaches.”

EPA established four TMDLs to address pollutants and impairments for the following water bodies:

• Long Beach City beaches and Los Angeles River estuary for bacteria: will help protect the health of the tens of thousands of people visiting the beaches during summer months. Once implemented, the average number of days during the swimming season exceeding bacteria standards will be reduced from 34 days to 0.
  
• Santa Monica Bay waters for DDTs and PCBs: will increase the health of the fish and other aquatic life and protect the public who use the Bay for recreational fishing and boating. Once implemented, DDT and PCB levels in the Bay will be reduced up to 50% and 75%, respectively.
  
• Ballona Creek wetlands for sediment and exotic vegetation: will help restore the last remaining critical coastal wetlands in Southern California.  Once implemented, 600 acres of habitats adjacent to Marina del Rey will support the hundreds of migratory birds species and the dozens of native birds that use these wetlands.
  
• Nine Los Angeles area urban lakes for toxics, trash, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution: will support recreation and wildlife for nine lakes in the Los Angeles area, including Echo Park Lake, Lake Calabasas, Puddingstone Reservoir and El Dorado Park Lakes.
  

In addition, the EPA has approved four LA Water Board-adopted TMDLs to address pollutants and impairments for the following water bodies:

• Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors for toxic pollutants: will reduce toxic levels of metals and organic pollutants to protect sensitive habitat, fishing, recreation, and navigation in the harbors.
  
• Machado Lake for toxic pollutants: will remediate contaminated water and sediments in the lake so that fish are safe to eat.
  
• Los Angeles River for bacteria: will protect the health of swimmers, waders, and boaters in the river and at downstream beaches in the City of Long Beach.
  
• Santa Monica Bay for trash: will prohibit trash and plastic pellets (“nurdles”) from entering the bay to protect beachgoers and marine life.

Pollution reduction plans adopted over the years have led to innovative solutions by municipalities and pollution equipment industries to address some of the most deep-rooted pollution problems in the region.  These plans have led to the installation of trash capture devices by 42 cities resulting in a 65% reduction in total tons of trash entering the Los Angeles River. The landmark Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL has, since its adoption, reduced exceedances of bacteria standards at local beaches by half for the benefit of the 55 million people who visit Santa Monica Bay Beaches annually.

For more information on the pollution plans approved today, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/tmdl/final.html 

For more information on all of the TMDLs in the Los Angeles Region, please visit: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/water_issues/programs/tmdl/  
For more information about the Clean Water Act, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/cwa.html  

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San Francisco Fights Erosion as Coastal Cities Watch Closely

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Sunday, March 25, 2012

San Francisco Fights Erosion as Coastal Cities Watch Closely

By FELICITY BARRINGER

SAN FRANCISCO — The explosive waves of Ocean Beach, a 3.5-mile stretch separating the city from the gray edge of the Pacific Ocean, have long been a draw for tourists, local families and an international tribe of surfers.

But every few years, stormy surf driven by the weather pattern known as El Niño grinds away at a thinning section of beach, pulling sand out to sea. Some comes back, but two years ago, bluffs collapsed and massive amounts of sand disappeared for good.

Holding back the sea here seems as impossible as holding back the fog. But planners see Ocean Beach as a top priority in a long roster of Bay Area sites threatened by inundation because of what lies on its landward side: the Great Highway, a $220 million wastewater treatment plant and a 14-foot-wide underground pipe that keeps sewage-tainted storm water away from the ocean.

The question facing at least eight local, state and federal agencies boils down to this: With California officials expectingclimate change to raise sea levels here by 14 inches by 2050, should herculean efforts be made to preserve the beach, the pipe and the plant, or should the community simply bow to nature?

“We are in some ways the tip of the spear for this issue,” said Benjamin Grant, a city planner who is leading a study of the problem for the nonprofit San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR.

Mr. Grant describes the beach’s south end as “an erosion hot spot.” But, he said, all coastal communities will have to grapple with rising seas.

EPA to Provide Funding for Beach Cleanup

News release from EPA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

EPA To Provide Nearly $10 Million to Clean Up Beaches Across the Nation

The agency launches improved website for beach advisories and closures

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will provide $9.8 million in grants to 38 states, territories and tribes to help protect the health of swimmers at America’s beaches. The agency also launched an improved website for beach advisories and closings, which will allow the public to more quickly and easily access the most current water quality and pollution testing information for more than 6,000 U.S. beaches.

The website, called BEACON, has the capability to update as frequently as every two hours based on new data provided by states, territories and tribes. Users will have access to mapped location data for beaches and water monitoring stations, monitoring results for various pollutants such as bacteria and algae, and data on public notification of beach water quality advisories and closures. For the first time, users can also access reports that combine notifications and water quality monitoring data. The enhanced system also uses enhanced map navigation and report display tools.

The majority of beach advisories and closures in the United States are due to water test results indicating bacterial contamination, which can make people sick. Bacterial contamination comes from a variety of sources. Some examples are sewer overflows, untreated stormwater runoff, boating wastes, wildlife and pet waste, and malfunctioning septic systems.

During each swimming season, state and local health and environmental protection agencies monitor the quality of water at the nation’s beaches. When bacteria levels in the water are too high, these agencies notify the public by posting beach warnings or closing the beach.

The grants will help local authorities monitor beach water quality and notify the public of conditions that may be unsafe for swimming.

This is the 12th year that EPA is providing beach grant funds, bringing the total amount EPA has made available to nearly $111 million. As a result, the number of monitored beaches has more than tripled to

more than 3,600 in 2010. Grant applications must be received within 60 days of publication of EPA’s notice in the Federal Register. EPA expects to award the grants later this year.

View EPA’s enhanced beach advisory and closing information: http://watersgeo.epa.gov/BEACON2/<http://watersgeo.epa.gov/BEACON2/>

More information on the grants: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/beachgrants/index.cfm<http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/beachgrants/index.cfm>