The public needs to know when to steer clear of the coast. Critical to a functioning ecosystem, coastal wetlands act as natural filters of many toxic substances and contaminants. The governor has outlined projects to increase monitoring and identification of pollution sources, important first steps to cleaning up our coastal waters. But to protect our coasts for the future, we have to do much more. The governor should study and then make grants available to local governments to improve sewage treatment facilities.
Statewide monitoring is critical to determining the sources of coastal pollution.
High priority impaired water bodies should have numeric pollution limits within one year. The governor should make determining numeric limits a priority. Right now, we have the opportunity to clean up coastal waters and improve them for the future. The money would support local projects to reduce contaminants in urban runoff, improve wetlands, and identify sources of beach contamination.