Bird Netting May Have Contributed to Improved Water Quality
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011Bird Exclusion Netting installed under the Santa Monica Pier could have contributed to improved water quality says Heal the Bay. The Bird netting was installed under the pier to prevent birds such as pigeons from landing or nesting. When the birds were inhabiting the underside of the pier, an accumulation of droppings in the water was causing higher bacteria levels.
“A combination of water-quality improvement projects including new storm drain infrastructure, runoff diversion replacement and the installation of bird exclusion nets under part of the pier, may have contributed to the drastically improved grades” in the End of Summer Beach Report Card, Heal the Bay said.
From The Santa Monica Patch:
Santa Monica Bay Water Quality Improves
Good news for Santa Monica Bay buffs: The quality of its water has improved since last year, Heal the Bay announced Tuesday morning. And in even better news for Santa Monica, the pier has earned an A grade for the second year in a row.
The news was noted on the nonprofit’s End of Summer Beach Report Card, which tracks bacterial pollution from Memorial Day through Labor Day. During that time frame, Heal the Bay monitors and rates 447 beaches in California. Heal the Bay’s previous Beach Report Card, released in May, indicated the overall water quality at Los Angeles County beaches worsened in 2010-11.
This summer, 89 percent of Santa Monica Bay beaches earned A or B grades, compared with 87 percent last year. In Los Angeles County, the number of A or B grades rose from 79 to 85 percent of beaches monitored.