Running Head: COASTAL POLLUTION 1

California’s Coastal Pollution

Christopher Ruper

Argosy University

COASTAL POLLUTION 2

Abstract

California’s coastline has been polluted by sources that have had a negative effect on its

ecosystems. To understand this problem one must know the types of pollution California’s

coastlines are faced with, their effects on the coastline, and the benefits of pollution.

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California’s Coastal Pollution

Introduction

California’s coastline is known for its warm weather, warm waters, and beautiful

beaches. Many beach goers do not know the truth behind pollution and its effects on the coastal

ecosystems or on human health. A report was taken on the pollution on California’s coastline,

“The report notes that contamination can make beachgoers sick,” (Brennan, 2009). The effects of

such pollution can cause more harm than just damages to the ecosystem and sickness, “The

Environmental Protection Agency has announced nearly $10 million in grants to assist coastal

states and territories in monitoring for pathogens in recreational waters,” (E.P.A., 2005).

California should do its best to protect its beaches and people that attend them. Beach pollution

is detrimental to the Californian coastline.

Types of pollution

Pollution on California’s coastline can come from various locations. Each cause of

pollution has its own negative effects on the coastal ecosystems and on the health of living

organisms. Some are caused by lack of consideration of human health and others are simply poor

foresight on the parts of engineers when constructing places for water to travel. Some pollution

issues have been left untouched and others have become of great concern to people who try to

protect the Californian coastline. The major causes of pollution on the Californian coastline are

pollution runoff, pollution from beach attendants, pollution from cargo, and air pollution.

Beach pollution runoff is the running off of water from cities into the ocean. These cities

can be right on the coast or miles away. Some storm drains and canals force the water runoff

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from city gutters right into the ocean without proper treatment. “Nearly 70% of the variability in

the coliform record can be attributed to seasonal and interannual variability in local rainfall,

implying that storm water runoff from the surrounding watershed is a primary source of coliform

in Newport Bay,” (Pednekar, 2005). During the construction of these drains not much foresight

was done on the effects these grains would have on California’s coastline. These drains can

contain massive amounts of bacteria during high water flow periods; usually, but not limited to,

rainy seasons. “By quantification of a human-specific Bacteroides marker (HBM), human waste

was evidenced throughout both transects, and concentrations were highest in the discharges of

several flowing storm drains,” (Sercu, 2009).

Pollution from beach attendants is another way that pollution can find its way to the

coast. One very evident type of pollution is bottles water, “some 26 billion bottles of water were

sold in the U.S. in 2005, making us the world leader in consumption of bottled water,” (Wright,

2009). Astoundingly, “only one in six of plastic water bottles were recycled in 2004, and the rest

ended up in landfills or combustion facilities,” (Wright, 2009). It is no surprise that, “the number

one new form of litter along our highways and on beaches is the discarded plastic water bottle,”

(Wright, 2009). Coastal visitors and other attendants can, either by accident or purpose, discard

plastic onto the beaches or into the water. “They live along a coast with the dubious distinction

of having 7 of the state's 10 most polluted beaches, according to the latest report card from the

environmental group Heal the Bay, which has given beaches like Surfrider a failing grade year

after year,” (Navarro, 2007). These ratings tend to be based more on the pollution found on the

beach and only a little emphasis is put on the pollution in the water. These ratings show that the

massive amounts of pollution is the cause of the failing beach grades; which has been happening

for many years.

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Cargo ships are another cause of pollution on California beaches. Ports in California have

been engineered for the imports and exports of large quantities of goods. Large cargo ships are

the cause of massive amounts of pollution as well. “The company based in Hong Kong that

operates the cargo ship that caused a 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay pleaded guilty to

criminal charges. The ship, the Cosco Busan, sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

on Nov. 7, 2007,” (Associated Press, 2009). Oil pollution is hard to clean up and costs lots of

money. It is also important to contain oils spills as they can easily move to the open coastline

from shipping harbors; if they happen inside the harbor. The shipping harbors should not be too

crowded as it increases the chances of collisions such as the Cosco Busan. Concerns have been

taken to large ships and discharges off the coastline in California. “This will establish the largest

coastal 'No Discharge Zone' in the United States and is expected to eliminate millions of gallons

of sewage that large ships discharge every year into local waters,” (E.P.A., 2010). The discharge

zone is for both cargo ships as well as cruise liners.

Finally, air pollution is another form of pollution on California’s coastline. This is mainly

from the diesel engines of trucks and large ships, but all fossil fueled vehicles and factories can

contribute to this type of pollution. “Ships in the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports already

produce nearly as much smog as Southern California's 350 largest industrial polluters

combined,” (Welch, 2004). The gasses released into the air have created smog clouds; one such

cloud can be found lingering over Los Angeles County. These pollution clouds may even be

blown inland from the coast to the cities located off the coast.

Environmental Effects

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The effects of runoff are very detrimental to health and the environment. In one case

treatment of the situation caused an ecosystem to lose water and almost dry up, “Over the course

of the study the marsh received progressively less dry weather surface water runoff from the

surrounding urban landscape due to the implementation of a runoff interception and treatment

program,” (Youngsul, 2008). The bacteria from runoff can be almost worse than actual trash,

“As many as 1.5 million people are sickened by bacterial pollution on Southern California

beaches each year, resulting in millions of dollars in public health care costs, a new study has

found,” (Associated Press, 2006). With the end of the drainage leading right into the coast the

pollution can spread along the coast to the north or south. This creates an even bigger ecological

problem as all animals would be affected from the bacteria.

Beach pollution from visitors can cause harm to local wildlife, mainly birds that try to

feed on the garbage; they tend to be less selective about their consumption. Ocean dwelling

creatures can also get sick from eating plastics and other pollutants. Plastic has been an enemy of

coastal wildlife for many years. Plastic is not biodegradable and may even cause animals to get

entangled in it; this will result in functioning problems. If trash makes its way to the ocean than

ocean animals can also feed on it, making them sick; this will have negative effects on the whole

food chain. Larger animals that feed on smaller sick ones will contract illnesses or be

malnourished from eating malnourished meals. “But there are those who persist in braving the

water, never mind the historic counts of bacteria from fecal matter and other sources that can

cause skin rashes, ear infections and gastrointestinal ailments, or the signs that spell out the

dangers with warnings like 'contact with ocean water at this location may increase risk of

illness’,'' (Navarro, 2007). The risk to the wildlife is coupled with the pollution’s effects on

humans. There are many ailments one can receive from the coastal waters of California.

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Pollution from cargo can be very disastrous to wildlife. In regards to the ship from Hong

Kong that ran into another ship, “The ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the water, killing

thousands of birds and other wildlife and fouling miles of shoreline,” (Associated Press, 2009).

This is not fair to the living organisms that reside in this ecosystem. There are also many

protected habitats in the area of this incident. The money that had to be spent for the cleanup was

astronomical. The “No Discharge Zone” was much needed for the health of all living organisms

on the California coastline. The sewage discharged from the large ships had contributed too

many harmful chemicals being introduced to coastal ecosystems.

Air pollution also contributes to the effects of pollution. It can ruin a sunny day for

recreational beach goers and even cause cancer to people exposed to it. “An estimated one in

every 1,000 residents who has lived in nearby neighborhoods since birth may contract cancer

from the bad air, one study shows,” (Welch, 2004). For local communities that rely heavily on

beach goers for income, having them go to other beaches can affect their business. People would

rather go to beaches with less pollution to vacation and air pollution is not very inviting to

vacationers. These pollution clouds also prevent proper sunlight from reaching plants and other

organisms that need sunlight to function properly. The clouds also contain harmful chemicals

such as CO2 and can be dangerous when in hailed. Acid rain is another effect of air pollution. It

can burn skin and cause harmful effects to living organisms. Acid rain when flushed into a storm

drain will also end up in the ocean even if it does not rain over the sea.

Benefits of pollution

Although not worth the pollution, pollution has had a benefit in California over the years.

The process of cleaning up pollution provides jobs for the state’s residents. Whether the cleanup

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is in the water or on land many cleanup hours are needed along its coastlines to help restore the

coastline to a satisfactory level. “The Environmental Protection Agency has announced nearly

$10 million in grants to assist coastal states and territories in monitoring for pathogens in

recreational waters,” (E.P.A., 2005). With unemployment being at an all time high, providing

jobs for people is invaluable to California’s population.

Conclusion

The coastal waters of California provide a livelihood for many living organisms, not

excluding humans. Many protected and endangered species of organisms have made their

homes on the coastlines of California. Pollution’s effects can be seen at all levels of the food

chain. Small fish get diseases which in turn affects the larger predators. Human health is also

at risk when it comes to this type of pollution; humans eat many things that are found on land

and in the sea from high polluted coastal areas. Since humans regularly use beaches as a place

of recreation and food they can contract many illnesses that reside in this location.

Possible solutions to prevent pollution on beaches have been sought after by many

activists but the costs are great for cleaning up pollution and even greater for pollution found

in the water. The runoff from city pipelines should be treated to prevent disease from entering

the open ocean; but ample water flow is important for the habitats that rely on it. Cargo

regulations have been made but the shipment industry continues to grow every year,

increasing the chances for pollution. More restrictions need to be placed on the shipment

industry. Stricter punishments for polluters may help deter humans from polluting the

coastlines. Prevention is the most effective way to get and keep California’s coastline

pollution at a minimal. The costs of prevention are far cheaper than the costs of cleaning up

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pollution. In some cases cleaning up pollution is not an option; the damage has already been

done.

California beaches are well known though out the world and lots of people come from all

over to enjoy them. Many species of organisms reside in coastal habitat and rely on healthy

ecosystems for survival. Humans need to maintain these habitats by not destroying them with

pollution. Pollution is a problem in California and it should be handled before too much harm

has been done. Future generations of humans and wildlife deserve to experience a healthy

coastline with far less pollution.

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References

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Associated Press (2009). California: deal in bay oil spill. New York Times, 8(9), 11.

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Brennan, P. (2009). O.C. features most 5-star beaches in U.S., report says: but Doheny State

Beach remains among the most contaminated in California. Orange County Register,

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Chapman University (2010). Peroxides; Reports from Chapman University add new data to

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Environmental Protection Agency (2005). Federal dollars help states improve the nation's

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Navarro, M. (2007). Surf's up, but the water is brown. New York Times, 20(6), 14-17. Retrieved

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Pednekar, A. (2005). Influence of climate change, tidal mixing, and watershed urbanization on

historical water quality in Newport Bay, a saltwater wetland and tidal embayment in

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Welch, C. (2004). Big ships, big pollution, little action: Lax rules govern an industry. The Seattle

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Wright, R.T. (2009).  Environmental Science, 10, 478-479. Retrieved from

(Online) URL http://www.argosy.edu Module 6.

Youngsul, J. (2008). Treatment of dry weather urban runoff in tidal saltwater marshes: A

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