Coastal Blog
December 11 2012
The Toilet Bowl Effect: Gurgles and Flushes from Pico-Kenter Storm Drain
Blue Water Task Force Youth Rise Above Plastics Water Quality
Students at Santa Monica High School measured high bacteria levels and picked up more than 75 lbs of trash flushed through the Pico-Kenter storm drain by rain events in November. Read the press release they sent out documenting this pollution.
December 10 2012
BWTF data detects sewer overflows at beaches in Newport, Oregon
Blue Water Task Force Partnerships Source Identification Water Quality
Very high bacteria levels detected by the Newport Chapter's BWTF water testing program indicated an ongoing problem with sewer overflows in the area during wet weather. The beaches were posted in the short-term, but the Chapter has been working with the city for nearly 10 years now to address multiple…
December 10 2012
New Controls on Nutrient Pollution in Florida
After years of court battles and lively debate between multiple stakeholders, the USEPA has finally decided to impose numeric water quality standards in the State of Florida to better control nutrient pollution. Algal blooms fueled by excess nutrients have been wreaking havoc on inland and coastal ecosystems alike and have…
December 06 2012
Tell the Feds to Cancel Seismic Surveys in the Atlantic!
The Department of Interior is deciding whether to conduct seismic surveys in the Mid- and South Atlantic to map oil and gas resources. These surveys would cause devastating impacts to marine life and set the stage for new offshore drilling. Please sign the petition to ask the Department to cancel…
December 06 2012
Membership Special and Beach Trash Ornament Contest
Surfrider Foundation is currently running a great Holiday Gift Membership package and there’s just one week left to order to make sure it’s delivered before Christmas. It’s a great package for you or a loved one to show your support for clean water and beaches all year long. Also, Surfrider…
December 02 2012
EPA updates recreational water quality criteria
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Illness
The EPA has released its 2012 water quality criteria recommendations for protecting human health in all coastal and non-coastal recreational waters.
December 01 2012
Sewage still a problem post-Sandy
The New York Times reported this week that since Superstorm Sandy hit a month ago, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw and partly raw sewage from crippled treatment plants have flowed into waterways in New York and New Jersey, exposing flaws in the region’s wastewater infrastructure that will take…
November 30 2012
Buffalo Exchange Goes Bagless!
Buffalo Exchange has officially gone “bag-less”. The company plans to discontinue all orders of disposable plastic bags for its 47 stores nation-wide. This keeps a good deal of plastic out of landfills and prompts customers to remember an earth-friendly alternative for the trip home. The company’s change in policy is…
November 29 2012
Plastic Pollution Makes National News
Rise Above Plastics Tsunami Debris
Last night NBC News featured a story triggered by tsunami debris that put the spotlight on plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean. While it's great to see more attention to the issue of plastic pollution, the story fell short of offering some solutions. Tsunami debris is a relative drop in…
November 26 2012
Plastic Beach Project - Understanding Plastic Pollution at 15 Beaches in the SF Bay Area
Surfrider Foundation San Francisco Chapter activists developed a method to document trash collected during Surfrider’s local beach cleanups and conduct scientific research to systematically compare plastic pollution on 15 local beaches. The purpose of the project was to document the quantity and type of beach litter on local beaches to…
November 21 2012
Direct Potable Reuse is Happening In Texas
Know Your H20 Wastewater Water Recycling
In what could be the first wave (first set?) of such projects in the United States, the cities of Brownwood and Big Spring in west Texas are constructing Direct Potable Reuse systems to turn wastewater into high quality drinking water,
November 19 2012
Rise Above Plastics Holiday Tips
Black Friday specials are in full swing and the joy of the holidays is knocking on the door. Are you going to be naughty or nice when it comes to your shopping and gift giving? The world's population is currently using 50 percent more resources each year than the earth…
November 15 2012
Green Girls Have Fun With Siuslaw, OR Chapter Rain Garden Workshop
Ocean Friendly Gardens Basic Class HOW
On a rainy afternoon in late October, 32 participants attended the Florence Rain Garden Workshop to learn about ways to reduce non-point source pollutants flowing off their property as part of the Siuslaw Chapter’s Ocean Friendly Gardens Program. Green Girl Land Development Solutions showed how it can be fun and…
November 14 2012
Canned Water?!
I often thought an 'ace up the sleeve' for the bottled water industry was that their usually unneeded product can come in quite handy after an emergency and/or natural disaster such as Sandy. But instead of plastic bottles, why can't water be put into cans? Aluminum cans have a higher…
November 13 2012
Multi-City Departments Collaborate With Chapter at Santa Barbara OFG Workday
It takes a village to raise a child - and to create an Ocean Friendly Garden. Several city government departments worked with the Surfrider chapter: from redirecting a downspout and installing the dry stream bed to providing tools and food. Once again, workday "coaching" was provided by G3/The Green Gardens…
November 08 2012
National Ocean Policy in the Ocean & Coastal Law Journal
The National Ocean Policy strives to be the one unifying law to govern the resources of our oceans and Great Lakes in the United States. Enacted by an Executive Order of President Barack Obama in 2010, the implementation plan for the NOP is expected to be out any day now.…
November 07 2012
Flyspecking Preservation Efforts: a case on off-road recreational access v. preservation
Surfrider Foundation has long worked to secure low-impact beach access for all people. Our work in realizing this goal has not gone without recognizing the omnipresent balance between beach access and the ecological integrity of our beaches. This balance is often implicated in beach driving. The Southern Four Wheel Drive…
November 07 2012
No Smoking On This Beach Near Tobacco Road
Rise Above Plastics Water Quality
The focus Tuesday was mainly on the Presidential race but there were other important races and plenty of ballot initiatives across the country. In Wrightsville Beach voters soundly approved the first smoke-free beach in North Carolina. The Surfrider Foundation Cape Fear Chapter worked hard on this campaign for two years…
November 01 2012
Surfrider Foundation Issues Statement On Hurricane Sandy
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Surfrider Foundation has issued the following statement.
October 31 2012
From King Tides to Sea Level Rise
“King tides” are extreme high tide events that tend to be more dramatic in the winter when storms cause increased wind and wave activity along the coast. These high water events allow us to visualize now how flooding from rising sea levels will impact our beaches, coastal areas and shoreline…
