Pollution advisories, closures fell Beach closures and pollution advisories were down 26 percent last year, but environmentalists credit the decline on fewer major storms rather than a boost in cleanup efforts. The Natural Resources Defense Council said in a July 1 report that there were 2,596 closures or advisories issued in 1996 along ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches, compared with 3,522 recorded in 1995. The NRDC attributed much of the decline in closures and advisories to fewer hurricanes in Florida and other large storms off the California coast. The numbers tend to fluctuate, and we are hesitant to draw trends. A lot of it is dependent on rainfall levels.
Lower rainfall reduces runoff and means less strain for aged sewer systems.
Chasis said annual comparisons were complicated by the wide disparities among the states in water monitoring. The study recommended uniform testing and reporting requirements. Lawmakers have introduced bills this year that would require states to adopt uniform standards and to notify the public when violations arise. Similar efforts have died before in Congress, but backers said passage is inevitable as the public learns more and more about storm water dangers. It credited Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Ohio with comprehensive monitoring.