Pathogens contained in polluted water can result in a range of illnesses, from gastroenteritis and dysentery to hepatitis and ear and upper respiratory infections. The report was based on statistics provided to the Environmental Protection Agency by states and some individual surveys done by the council. Now that an expanded picture is beginning to emerge, Mr. Beckman said, it is time to start taking action. Earlier this week in California, state officials announced a 15-year plan to curb runoff pollution. The program, which is viewed as the first of its kind in the country linking efforts to clean up inland runoff along with beach pollution, will be carried out in three phases.
Compliance is required under the federal Clean Water Act and coastal regulations.
Eliminating runoff problems at farms, logging operations and marinas will be emphasized in the first phase of the program, said Ken Harris, chief of the Watershed Pollution Prevention Section. In later phases, cities and developers will be expected to take steps to control polluted runoff. Initially, most offenders will be given an opportunity to make changes on their own. Enforcement measures and penalties will be phased in. Several coastal cities in Southern California most affected by urban runoff problems, including Los Angeles, are already regulated separately under the Clean Water Act.