Surfrider Releases 2024 'Clean' Water Report and It's…A Doozy
Topping the list. Hawaii offers not one but two swimming holes that mark the lowest water quality found within the greater U.S. of A. Kahalu'u, on Oahu, saw a 92% high-bacteria rate this past year, which, if data means anything to you, suggests that setting so much as a stubbed toe in that waterway is to invite vicious wrath that knows no bounds—you would be far from the first sorry soul to slowly and agonizingly make your grave by taking your chances there.
Also high on the list, with more than half of sample analyses finding unsafe bathing conditions are: Park View Kayak Launch in Miami, Florida, (90%); Imperial Beach, San Diego (82%); Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California (71%); South Sound Thea Foss Floating Dock (64%); and Ballard Park in Melbourne, Florida.
But Surfrider isn't just highlighting the doom and gloom of all these grim findings, they're addressing upstream sources of pollution that are often a leading cause of supercharged bacterial blooms: gardens. The Ocean Friendly Gardens' (OFG) initiative works to educate the public on better, safer, and cleaner gardening solutions that prevent excessive runoff of fertilizers containing nitrates and phosphates, the super-catalyzers for bacteria growth.While Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force's (BWTF) report analyzes over 10,000 water samples from hundreds of beaches, increasing their number of tests thanks to new labs in Isabela, Puerto Rico, Waianae High School on Oahu, Coos Bay in Oregon, and a relaunch of California's Sonoma County Chapter.
'Last year, 80% of beaches and sampling sites tested (483 of 604) yielded at least one high bacteria result that exceeded state health standards,' a Surfrider press release reads. That is a decidedly depressing number that, again, might make you think twice about paddling out at your local peak this summer.
Lest we get too dour on all this, though, know that Surfrider and its supporters are being proactive in more ways than the aforementioned: 'Through grassroots campaigns and programs, Surfrider is working hard to ensure that the beaches and ocean are clean and safe for all people to enjoy for generations to come. Learn more about how Surfrider's national network of coastal advocates is fighting at the local, state, and federal levels to protect clean water in the 2024 Clean Water Annual Report.'Surfrider Releases 2024 'Clean' Water Report and It's…A Doozy first appeared on Surfer on May 28, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Midults: My wife sleeps in the spare room more and more
Dear A&E, My wife has started sleeping in the spare room more and more and I'm a bit concerned. We've only been married for a year and are in our early 30s. And I don't really snore, unless I've been drinking. I am worried that we are already drifting apart, and the separate bedrooms are just the beginning. Our sex life is great but I want all of her. Love, – Uneasy Dear Uneasy, We are obsessed with sleep. We talk about sleep like we used to talk about sex: how much are you getting? How long does it last? Was it good? Sleeping seven to nine hours a night is the holy grail; a key factor in positive mental health, physical health, all the healths. We pathologise it, we catastrophise about it, because, like sex, we're mostly not getting enough. We are tired all the time and we worry about being tired all the time, which means we don't sleep; an unvirtuous circle. We have Oura rings (one friend admitted to being a bit disappointed when her Oura ring told her she was getting a surprisingly healthy amount of sleep) to track our REM cycles. And we don't merely avoid caffeine after 2pm – that's rookie sleep hygiene. No, we try to practise clean bedtime routines: We don't drink, we don't eat anything too heavy; no screens; you name it… anything in order to give ourselves the best chance of hitting that dreamy eight hours of oblivion. And it's not just us mid-lifers who are poring over sleep apps and signing up to be measured and biohacked to within an inch of our lives. Your thirty-something wife is just another of her cohort who is feverish about nighttime routines: the problem of sleep deprivation in millennials is so widespread that they are commonly known as 'The Tired Generation'. So, dear Uneasy, your feelings are collateral damage in this crusade. Sure, it's lovely to be wrapped around someone now and again, but nothing beats sleeping alone. Sleeping with someone else can be quite trying once the honeymoon is over. There are temperature issues, one is always too hot, while the other is too cold. You say snoring is not often a factor but you might talk, or move, or just breathe a bit too much. And then there's the bed itself: duvet weight, tucked in sheets, disagreements over optimum mattress type. Emilie's husband likes a firm mattress; Emilie, not so much. So they have a compromise mattress which in the end appeals to neither. Emilie sneaks down to sink into her trusty memory foam mattress in the spare room at every given opportunity. Everyone is happy. Lack of sleep can inflict significant damage on a human body and it can also be a huge potential threat to a relationship. People usually want to bring their best selves to a marriage, a self that can be severely compromised by a bad night. And, if children appear, it becomes imperative that at least one person sleeps in order to keep the show on the road. Perhaps your wife would rather sleep in the other room to be able to make the most of her waking hours; rather than emerging from a tough night full of dread. The good news is, dear Uneasy, from our point of view, you are doing pretty damn well: you are getting sex and sleep. However, as you are worrying – and presumably, as a result, not bringing your best self to the day – why not do a little investigating and join her quest for the perfect sleep situation? Work out what exactly it is that is sending her scuttling off to the other room. Is there a temperature issue, in which case get separate duvets (a game-changing idea courtesy of the scandis). Does she like to read in bed but you want the light off or vice versa? (A Kindle is a good solve here). Is the mattress right? Is the bed big enough? Are the curtains heavier in the other room? Perhaps with a little tweak you might find your sleepily ever after. If not, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone, in sleeping alone. A friend of ours, who is a very distinguished interior designer, says that the third meeting with a client is always when 'the snoring room' come up. 'Of course, we're very happy,' they all say, 'It's just that the snoring is unbearable.' Separate rooms do not equate to separate lives. One last thing, dear Uneasy. It is interesting to us that you say in your letter that you 'want all of her'. Perhaps that sounds romantic to you, and it might well be. It might also be a lot of pressure, on both of you. Careful, because none of us can be everything, or give everything, to someone else. It is important in any relationship to have room to grow, to oxygenate and flourish. An urge to be possessed, to be held all the time, might initially have felt very natural and exciting, but over time, could feel a little stifling. Don't tuck her in too tight. We are not saying that this is what is making her bolt for the other bedroom, but it is worth keeping an eye on. Good luck and good night. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'No life without water': settler attacks threaten West Bank communities
From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course", he said, following the attack which temporarily cut off the water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for some 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it -- making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. The attack is one of several recent incidents in which settlers have been accused of damaging, diverting or seizing control of Palestinian water sources. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," Olayan told AFP, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers -- some of them armed -- splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Last week, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil, prompting US ambassador Mike Huckabee to urge Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing. - Annexation - Issa Qassis, chairman on the board of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which manages the Ein Samiyah spring, said he viewed the attacks as a tool for Israeli land grabs and annexation. "When you restrict water supply in certain areas, people simply move where water is available", he told AFP at a press conference. "So in a plan to move people to other lands, water is the best and fastest way", he said. Since the start of the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians and officials have become increasingly vocal in support of annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Most prominent among them is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, who said in November that 2025 would be the year Israel applies its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory. Qassis accused Israel's government of supporting settler attacks such as the one on Ein Samiyah. The Israeli army told AFP that soldiers were not aware of the incident in which pipes were damaged, "and therefore were unable to prevent it". The damage to Ein Samiyah's water facilities was not an isolated incident. In recent months, settlers in the nearby Jordan Valley took control of the Al-Auja spring by diverting its water from upstream, said Farhan Ghawanmeh, a representative of the Ras Ein Al Auja community. He said two other springs in the area had also recently been taken over. - Water rights - In Dura al-Qaraa, another West Bank village that uses the Ein Samiyah spring as a back-up water source, residents are also concerned about increasingly long droughts and the way Israel regulates their water rights. "For years now, no one has been planting because the water levels have decreased," said Rafeaa Qasim, a member of the village council, citing lower rainfall causing the land to be "basically abandoned". Qasim said that though water shortages in the village have existed for 30 years, residents' hands are tied in the face of this challenge. "We have no options; digging a well is not allowed", despite the presence of local water springs, he said, pointing to a well project that the UN and World Bank rejected due to Israeli law prohibiting drilling in the area. The lands chosen for drilling sit in the West Bank's Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. Israeli NGO B'Tselem reported in 2023 that the legal system led to sharp disparities in water access within the West Bank between Palestinians and Israelis. Whereas nearly all residents of Israel and Israeli settlements have running water every day, only 36 percent of West Bank Palestinians do, the report said. In Dura al-Qaraa, Qasim fears for the future. "Each year, the water decreases and the crisis grows -- it's not getting better, it's getting worse." lba/acc/ysm/tc
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
'No life without water': settler attacks threaten West Bank communities
From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course", he said, following the attack which temporarily cut off the water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for some 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it -- making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. The attack is one of several recent incidents in which settlers have been accused of damaging, diverting or seizing control of Palestinian water sources. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," Olayan told AFP, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers -- some of them armed -- splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Last week, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil, prompting US ambassador Mike Huckabee to urge Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing. - Annexation - Issa Qassis, chairman on the board of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which manages the Ein Samiyah spring, said he viewed the attacks as a tool for Israeli land grabs and annexation. "When you restrict water supply in certain areas, people simply move where water is available", he told AFP at a press conference. "So in a plan to move people to other lands, water is the best and fastest way", he said. Since the start of the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians and officials have become increasingly vocal in support of annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Most prominent among them is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, who said in November that 2025 would be the year Israel applies its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory. Qassis accused Israel's government of supporting settler attacks such as the one on Ein Samiyah. The Israeli army told AFP that soldiers were not aware of the incident in which pipes were damaged, "and therefore were unable to prevent it". The damage to Ein Samiyah's water facilities was not an isolated incident. In recent months, settlers in the nearby Jordan Valley took control of the Al-Auja spring by diverting its water from upstream, said Farhan Ghawanmeh, a representative of the Ras Ein Al Auja community. He said two other springs in the area had also recently been taken over. - Water rights - In Dura al-Qaraa, another West Bank village that uses the Ein Samiyah spring as a back-up water source, residents are also concerned about increasingly long droughts and the way Israel regulates their water rights. "For years now, no one has been planting because the water levels have decreased," said Rafeaa Qasim, a member of the village council, citing lower rainfall causing the land to be "basically abandoned". Qasim said that though water shortages in the village have existed for 30 years, residents' hands are tied in the face of this challenge. "We have no options; digging a well is not allowed", despite the presence of local water springs, he said, pointing to a well project that the UN and World Bank rejected due to Israeli law prohibiting drilling in the area. The lands chosen for drilling sit in the West Bank's Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. Israeli NGO B'Tselem reported in 2023 that the legal system led to sharp disparities in water access within the West Bank between Palestinians and Israelis. Whereas nearly all residents of Israel and Israeli settlements have running water every day, only 36 percent of West Bank Palestinians do, the report said. In Dura al-Qaraa, Qasim fears for the future. "Each year, the water decreases and the crisis grows -- it's not getting better, it's getting worse." lba/acc/ysm/tc
