Health warning days in 2006

(below is listed the number of days at each beach, where it was NOT healthy to swim!)

South Beach in Key West: 120 days

Higgs Beach in Key West: 91 days

Coco Plum Beach in Marathon: 58 days

Cannon Beach at John Pennekamp: 44 days

Sandspur Beach at Bahia Honda: 36

Simonton Beach in Key West: 36

Anne’s Beach in Islamorada: 29

Oceanside at Bahia Honda: 22

Founders Park beach: 22

Islamorada public library: 22

Smathers Beach in Key West: 22

Curry Hammock: 14

Bayside at Bahia Honda: 7

Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West: 7

Harry Harris in Tavernier: 7

Sombrero Beach in Marathon: 7

Veterans Beach near Seven Mile Bridge: 0

BY BECKY IANNOTTA - Citizen Newspaper Reporter

October 1, 2007

“Careless urban sprawl in coastal areas is devouring wetlands and other natural buffers such as dunes and beach grass that would otherwise help filter out dangerous pollution,”

Two Key West beaches were under health warnings at least one-quarter of the year in 2006, according to a report that counted beach closings nationwide. The Natural Resources Defense Council report, “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches,” found that South Beach in Key West was under health advisories 120 days in 2006, while warnings were issued for Higgs Beach, also in Key West, for 91 days. Other beaches under warnings 36 days or more include Coco Plum in Marathon, Cannon Beach at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Simonton Beach in Key West and Sand Spur Beach at Bahia Honda State Park near Big Pine Key. The Monroe County Health Department tests the beaches weekly to detect high levels of fecal coliform bacteria suspected to reach nearshore waters via poor sewage systems, stormwater runoff and animal waste. Advisories are issued when bacterial levels exceed state and federal standards. The local Health Department also issues precautionary advisories when levels are expected to rise due to heavy rainfall.

The Florida Keys are under a state mandate to upgrade sewer systems by 2010. Key West, which has been connected to central sewers for decades, has replaced leaky pipes in recent years and taken steps to identify potential sources of beach contamination. Still, more must be done, said DeeVon Quirolo, executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization Reef Relief in Key West. “Efforts should be doubled to improve stormwater and wastewater treatment in the Florida Keys and elsewhere,” Quirolo said. “It is not only an environmental problem for the coral reef ecosystem, it is a health risk.” The report by Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based environmental watchdog, said nationwide beach advisories reached a record number in 2006. The number of no-swim days jumped 28 percent to 25,643 days. At the 17 beaches tested in Monroe County, the number of no-swim days dropped from 677 in 2005 to 547 in 2006, according to the report. There were 398 warnings issued in the Florida Keys in 2004 and 346 in 2003. Veterans Beach at the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge scored the best in the report, with no health warnings issued in 2006. Marathon’s Sombrero Beach, Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, Fort Zachary Taylor Beach in Key West and the bayside beach at Bahia Honda were under advisories for seven days in 2006, compared to between 14 and 120 days for the other Keys beaches tested. Nationwide, 63 percent of beach warnings were based on monitoring that detected high bacteria levels. Precautionary advisories were issued 33 percent of the time due to rainfall blamed for carrying pollution to nearshore waters, the report said. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Rhode Island and Minnesota ranked the worst for failing to meet national health standards. The report blamed development and aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems for the beach water pollution. “Careless urban sprawl in coastal areas is devouring wetlands and other natural buffers such as dunes and beach grass that would otherwise help filter out dangerous pollution,” the report said.