Ocean beaches get A’s

Deepa Bharath

Some of the city’s bays are not as swimmable as most of its beaches,

a water quality report released on Tuesday by a Santa Monica-based

environmental organization showed.

All local ocean-facing beaches, without exception, got a superior

A or A+ grade while seven out of 22 locations in Newport Bay got

either a D or an F on Heal the Bay’s 2003 Summer Report Card.

Among the locations that got a poor grade were the Onyx Avenue

beach in Balboa Island, the beaches on 43rd, 38th and 10th streets

and the Harbor Patrol Beach -- all of which got an F. The north side

of Newport Dunes and the Garnet Avenue beach received Ds.

The locations along Newport Bay vary greatly in terms of water

quality, said James Alamillo, beach report card manager for Heal the

Bay.

“It varies almost from one block to another,” he said. “For

example, three out of four locations in Newport Dunes got an A. But

the north side got a D.”

The water quality also swings from one extreme to another.

“It’s either excellent or it’s very poor,” Alamillo said. “There’s

nothing in the middle.”

Also in Newport, when a location in contaminated, it stays that

way for a long time, he said.

That’s why in Newport, it’s always a safe bet to swim in the ocean

rather than on the bay side, Alamillo said.

Heal the Bay ranks various beach locations in Orange County based

on data received from the county Health Care Agency.

“It’s based on the level of bacteria in the water,” Alamillo

explained.

The organization puts out the data weekly, but provides a trend

analysis twice a year, once in the summer.

“It’s a guideline for people to follow,” Alamillo said. “It gives

them an idea about where to go and what to avoid.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].