City beaches clean overall

Huntington 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.

Water quality off Magnolia Street at Huntington State Beach was worse than national standards a quarter of the year, or 25% 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, released Tuesday.

Water from the northern part of Huntington Harbour was the cleanest off the city’s coast, results show. Of the top five areas tested in Huntington Beach, four were in the harbor and only missed national standards 2% of the time or less when they were tested. The fourth, near the Beach Hut, met national standards in all but 2% of its 208 tests, according to the report. The county missed the mark an average of 6% of the time and the statewide ocean water was below standards 7% of the time.

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 off of Magnolia and Brookhurst streets and off the harbor’s clubhouse — each violating health standards at least 14% of the time last year — the Huntington 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. Four locations in the city, including the water off of Bolsa Chica beach and Jack’s Snack Bar, received a five-star rating.

“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.”

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