Ocean quality mixed

Newport Beach’s ocean water quality is a hit-and-miss affair for swimmers, with some areas off the coast meeting national health standards year-round while others frequently missed the mark, according to a national nonprofit’s annual report that was released Tuesday.

Water quality under the Newport Boulevard bridge in Newport Bay was worse than national standards about a quarter of the year, or 28% of the time, statistics from the Natural Resources Defense Council show. The nonprofit organization uses data from the Environmental Protection Agency for its annual report.

Water quality off Crystal Cove State Beach and the Newport Pier was immaculate, tests show. Of the 208 water samples taken off the pier in 2007, not one showed bacteria or other contaminate levels exceeding national health codes. Water quality off the Balboa Pier was nearly the same, with only 1% of tests exceeding national standards. The county average was 6%, and the state average was 7%.

There are a number of culprits that can lower water quality, organization officials said.

The number of beach closings and advisories due to sewage spills and overflows more than tripled nationally in 2007, but the largest pollution source was storm water, or water that flows straight from the streets into the ocean without any treatment whenever it rains, according to the report.

Though it has some polluted spots, including the Newport Boulevard bridge, Newport Bay’s east side dunes and the area around 33rd Street — each violating health standards at least 14% of the time last year — the Newport Beach coast overall was still cleaner than the state average, the report shows.

The Natural Resources Defense Council started a new five-star ranking system this year, with stars being awarded for consistently clean water in 2007, a pattern of clean water for three consecutive years, frequent testing of the water, closings and advisories always being initiated at the first hint of a health hazard and accurate sampling for advisories and closings.

Newport Pier and Balboa Pier, the two most popular areas in the city and the only two areas ranked by the organization, each received four stars. Each would have received the fifth star if they had tested more than the once-a-week minimum.

“This beach rarely, if ever, had water quality that violated the standard,” the report rankings read.

“An adequately monitored beach whose water is consistently meeting the national standard is a smart choice for beachgoers looking for a safe and healthy swim.”

Newport Beach’s five cleanest areas (excluding Crystal Cove State Beach) and most polluted areas according to how often they violated national water quality standards:

Cleanest:

Newport Bay, Grand Canal – 0%

Newport Bay, N Street beach – 0%

Newport Bay, Rocky Point – 0%

Newport Pier – 0%

Balboa Pier – 1%

Dirtiest:

Newport Bay, Newport Boulevard bridge – 28%

Newport Bay, Newport Dunes east – 15%

Newport Bay, 33rd Street – 14%

Newport Beach, Lancaster and 62nd Street – 12%

Newport Bay, Northstar Beach – 12%

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].