Read more: Local, Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council Report, Horry County, Dirties Beaches in SC, Beachwater Quality, Monitoring Frequency, Public Notification of Contamination
A Natural Resources Defense Council report out Wednesday said Horry County has some of the dirties beaches in the state. Horry County said the report was "basically accurate and factual" but didn't tell the whole story.
The Natural Resources Defense Council report looked at beachwater quality, monitoring frequency and public notification of contamination.
Myrtle Beach received the lowest rating possible, one star on a five star scale. North Myrtle Beach received three stars.
Horry County issued a statement today saying it doesn't believe the NRDC report "trashes" Horry County beaches, but rather is a presentation of the data reported by each state to the EPA.
Horry County's Stormwater Director Tom Garigen said the report is actually good news for South Carolina and the Grand Strand when viewed from a historical perspective.
He pointed out:
- · South Carolina's overall ranking improved from last year's NRDC report, jumping from 19th place to 8th.
- · South Carolina's exceedance rate has dropped from 14% in 2005 to 4% in 2009.
- · As pointed out in the NRDC report, South Carolina's testing protocol of intentionally sampling at stormwater outfalls and swashes will result in increased rates of exceedance compared to other states that do not follow this procedure.
Compare South Carolina beaches to Florida's:
- o There are 13 counties in Florida with higher exceedance rates than Horry County.
- o There are 29 Florida beaches with exceedance rates greater than the highest beach in SC, the StatePark and Campground at 15%. The three highest rates in Florida were 73%, 71%, and 55%.
- o No credit is given for the use of pre-emptive advisories based on rainfall. This method is one of the best ways to protect the swimmers because high bacteria levels almost always occur during and immediately after it rains, when polluted runoff drains to the beach. Use of these advisories provides immediate results rather than waiting 24 hours for the results of a test to determine that water quality was poor the previous day when the sample was taken.
- o No credit is given for the placement of permanent warning signs at beach outfalls. These signs remind people not to swim near these outfalls during and after rainfall.
- o Only selected beaches are rated. They say they are the 200 most popular beaches in the nation. However they include the State Park and Springmaid but leave out Garden City and Arcadian Shores which clearly have more intense use than the beaches they rated. Both Garden City and Arcadian Shores have less exceedances and would probably receive a two star rating.
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Report: Horry County has some of worst beaches in state
