7News - Beaches hit by high tides
NSW can expect more wild weather as heavy rain and damaging winds are forecast, while damaging surf and swells are creating badly eroded beaches on the Gold ...
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Category Archives: Beaches
Great Aussie Beaches 3 – Video
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Beaches at Medford clubs closed due to contamination
MEDFORD A malfunctioning sewer pump, geese droppings and too much rain have been blamed for the closing of two lakefront beaches this week.
The Oakwood Colony Club has been closed because of a sewage leak from a manhole on nearby Elm Drive on Sunday afternoon.
The Lake Pine Colony Club has been closed since Monday due to a high level of coliform bacteria in the water.
Testing was done Wednesday at both locations to see when the lakes beaches could reopen.
By state law, the water in lakes where swimming is allowed needs to be tested weekly for bacteria, said Laura Saunders, Lake Pines president. If the bacteria level comes back too high, the water must be retested before the beaches can reopen.
Weve had so much rain since Memorial Day, Saunders said, attributing the closure to contamination in stormwater runoff entering the milelong lake and stirring the lake bottoms.
According to information provided on the clubs Facebook page, water from near three beaches on the lake all tested with about 1,000 coliform colonies per 100 milliliters. The club states that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires a beach to close when a count exceeds 200 colonies for two consecutive tests, or 400 for a single test, until further testing determines it is safe to reopen.
We close several times a year. They retest, and then we reopen, Saunders said.
Coliform are normally found in soil, vegetation, and the waste of warm-blooded animals. When higher-than-normal concentrations infiltrate a waterway, its an indication that other disease-causing bacteria and viruses also may have contaminated the water.
Lake Pine is a private club open to nearby residents. About 400 families are members.
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N.C. beaches rank third in nation in report
Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 4:45 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 4:45 p.m.
Since 2008, North Carolina has had some of the cleanest beaches in the nation and 2012 is no exception.
A report released Wednesday by the Natural Resource Defense Council detailed the environmental health of thousands of vacation beaches nationally and rated them depending on how safe they were for swimmers.
Rated third in the nation, out of 30 states, North Carolina's monitored beach samples exceeded national standards in 2012 only 2 percent of the time, according to the report, "Testing the Waters."
The nation's worst state in the report, Ohio, had samples that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's standards 21 percent of the time, according to Jon Devine, the NRDC's senior water attorney, in a conference call.
In North Carolina, elevated bacteria levels on beaches led to beach closings or advisories for 91 days in 2012, down from 126 days in 2011, according to the report.
Beaches in the Wilmington region ranked highly, with only five beaches closing or having advisory days because of unsafe swimming water in Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick counties combined last year.
Erin Bryan-Millush, an environmental specialist with the N.C. Department of Natural Resources who monitors beaches, attributed the clean water to proactive local governments and lower rain amounts than usual in 2012.
There is no discharge of storm water runoff on a beach into the ocean in Pender, New Hanover or Brunswick counties, another reason water remains highly rated for swimming, Bryan-Millush said.
Storm water runoff and sewer overflow are two of the top contaminators of beach water nationwide, Devine said.
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Mississippi’s beaches ranked 19th of 30 in US in water quality
WILLIAM COLGIN/SUN HERALDA family watches a great blue heron pass in Ocean Springs. A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council ranks Coast beaches 19th out of 30 in water quality.
WILLIAM COLGIN SUN HERALD Buy Photo
Alabama beaches in Gulf Shores and at the Gulf State Park Pavilion have been ranked top in the country by the Natural Resources Defense Council's annual report "Testing the Waters."
Mississippi beaches ranked 19th in water quality, out of 30 states reporting.
But according to the report, testing in 2012 at sites in Jackson County met the standard for bacteria in the water more often than Harrison and Hancock counties.
Mississippi has 22 beach sites that are tested weekly.
And these sites had more bacteria than is acceptable for public health 8 percent of the time they were tested. California, which ranked 20th in the report, had 504 test sites that also missed the mark 8 percent of the time.
The report uses water-quality tests each state performs. In Mississippi, the Department of Environmental Quality handles the monitoring.
These tests are required by the EPA, and the NRDC gets its data from the states or the EPA. The NRDC has been gathering the information for 23 years.
The 2013 report presents information on water quality and beach closings and swimming advisories at more than 3,000 U.S. beach sites along the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.
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Mississippi's beaches ranked 19th of 30 in US in water quality
Untreated sewage closed U.S. beaches for 20,000 days
NEW YORK, June 27 (UPI) -- For the third consecutive year, U.S. beaches experienced more than 20,000 closing and advisory days due to polluted water, an environmental group says.
The 23rd annual beach water quality report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council found 80 percent of the closings and advisories were issued because testing revealed bacteria levels in the water violated public health standards, confirming serious water pollution persists at many U.S. shores.
The primary known cause of this pollution is massive storm water runoff and sewage, the report said.
"Sewage and contaminated runoff in the water can spoil a family vacation real fast, turning a day of lounging at the beach into a day at the doctor's office with a sick child," Jon Devine, NRDC's senior attorney, said in the statement. "It's no surprise that pollution in the waves is bad for business in beach communities. Our government leaders can help support local economies and salvage countless summer getaways nationwide by tackling one of the principal sources of these problems -- storm water runoff."
The researchers analyzed the latest beach water testing data results from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state beach coordinators at more than 3,000 beach testing locations nationwide.
Thirteen beaches had exceptionally low violation rates and strong testing and safety practices last year. There were:
-- Alabama: Gulf Shores Public Beach in Baldwin County.
-- Alabama: Gulf State Park Pavilion in Baldwin County.
-- California: Bolsa Chica Beach in Orange County.
-- California: Newport Beach in Orange County.
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Contra Costa, San Mateo County beaches rife with bacteria, report says
San Mateo County beaches are the second-worst in California when it comes to a key measure of bacterial pollution, according to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Contra Costa County's beaches were the worst, the report found. But the sample size for Contra Costa County was small -- only two monitoring sites, the north and south ends of Richmond's Keller Beach, were included in the report. San Mateo County, meanwhile, contributed data from 45 sites at beaches on the bay and along the Pacific Ocean.
The beaches in these counties exceeded daily maximum levels for E. coli and other bacteria in 2012 more often than any other counties in the state, the report found. California ranked 20th of 30 coastal states, including those surrounding the Great Lakes.
Stormwater runoff and sewage spills are the primary causes of bacterial pollution on beaches, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which based its annual "Testing the Waters" report on water-quality data from more than 3,000 beach sites across the country. Citing a 2001 analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the council claims as many as 3.5 million Americans -- and possibly more -- become ill every year by coming into contact with pollution from these sources.
"Stormwater pollution remains a persistent problem on our coasts and beaches," said Noah Garrison, a California attorney with the council, "and it's certainly a
Most polluted
Keller Beach formed the basis for Contra Costa County's poor showing in the report. Two monitoring sites exceeded bacteria thresholds a combined 17.3 percent of the time.
San Mateo County had a far greater data sample, but its 16.5 percent violation rate was driven by a trio of chronic offenders in terms of water quality: Parkside Aquatic Park and Lakeshore Park, two lagoon beaches in San Mateo, and Pillar Point Harbor north of Half Moon Bay.
One segment of the beach at Pillar Point Harbor had some of the highest violation rates in the state. Pillar Point-Capistrano, measured twice a month, exceeded public health standards for bacteria 52 percent of the time in 2012.
Sabrina Brennan, a member of the San Mateo County Harbor District board, said fecal contamination at Pillar Point is a long-standing issue, and a study on the subject is wrapping up. Brennan said she advises people not to let their children play at the Capistrano segment.
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Contra Costa, San Mateo County beaches rife with bacteria, report says
Texas beaches tank in quality
With the Fourth of July weekend coming up, thousands of Texans will be heading to the beach.
But they shouldn't assume the water quality is good.
Among the 30 states that have coastal or Great Lakes beaches, Texas ranks 21st in beach water quality.
According to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, nine percent of beach water samples at Texas beaches exceeded national standards for contamination in 2012.
In last year's report on the 2011 season, Texas ranked eighth among the 30 states.
This year's report presents information on water quality as well as the frequency of beach closings and swimming advisories at more than 3,000 U.S. beaches on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.
Texas has about 2,500 miles of coastal, bay and estuary shoreline, with 336 miles covered by monitoring and notification provisions of the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000.
In addition, the Texas Coastal Management Program under the Texas General Land Office funds a project to create a standard sanitary survey program for the state's beaches, according to the NRDC report.
In 2012, Texas reported 169 coastal beaches, with 9 percent of all reported beach monitoring samples exceeding the daily maximum bacterial standard. Beaches with the highest percentage in 2012 were Palacios-Palacios Pavilion in Matagorda County with 33 percent; Cole Park and Poenisch Park, both at 32 percent; Ropes Park at 31 percent in Nueces County; and Sargent Beach at 29 percent in Matagorda County.
The report calls upon the Environmental Protection Agency to set beach water quality standards that protect human health and provide states with support they need to monitor beach pollution and notify the public when pollution levels are high.
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The Gambian Beaches – Video
How to get da beaches(: – Video
How to get da beaches(:
Try it it works!
By: iOnlyThinkLogically
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Alabama’s Beaches to Welcome Legendary Coaches and Players for SEC BeachFest in August
GULF SHORES, AL and ORANGE BEACH, AL--(Marketwired - June 25, 2013) - Alabama's beach towns will soon welcome thousands of football fans to the area to celebrate the decorated history of the South's favorite "pastime" -- Southeastern Conference (SEC) football. Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT), an official corporate sponsor of the SEC, is set to host the second SEC BeachFest from Aug. 15-18 (Thursday through Sunday). From a golf scramble and fishing tournaments to the FanZone Fueled by BP, beach concerts and appearances by Legendary Coaches and Players, the festival has something for each member of the family to explore throughout the weekend.
"SEC BeachFest gives us the distinct opportunity to welcome fans to our beautiful beaches and kick off the always highly anticipated SEC football season," said Herb Malone, president and CEO of GSOBT. "We are honored to be the beach destination where SEC fans come to play, and we're thrilled to give fans a variety of activities to look forward to during their visit."
Festival offerings include the following details:
Legendary Coaches and Players will grace BeachFest throughout the weekend. The Legends Pavilion sponsored by Comcast will feature an ongoing program of talk show-type interviews with the Legends. Legendary Coaches include Gene Stallings (Alabama), Pat Dye (Auburn), Vince Dooley (Georgia), Bill Curry (Kentucky), Jerry Stovall (LSU), Billy Brewer (Ole Miss), Houston Nutt (Ole Miss and Arkansas), Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee), R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) and Bobby Johnson (Vanderbilt). Legendary Players include Roger Schultz (Alabama), Matt Jones (Arkansas), Ben Leard (Auburn), Chris Doering (Florida), David Greene (Georgia), Howard Schnellenberger (Kentucky), Jake Gibbs (Ole Miss), Inky Johnson (Tennessee) and Bucky Richardson (Texas A&M).
Fans are invited to check out the FanZone Fueled by BP beginning Friday, which will include interactive games, cheerleading and football clinics and much more.
Golfers are encouraged to tee off for the golf scramble on Friday for a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Foursomes cost $1,200 which includes three rounds of golf (and the championship round for those that advance), complimentary breakfast and lunch buffets, tickets to BeachFest, a VIP party on Thursday, a goody bag and a chance to meet Legendary Coaches. The tournament will take place at Craft Farms, Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club and Gulf Shores Golf Club with the championship round on Saturday at Kiva Dunes.
SEC alumni are invited to celebrate their school of choice at alumni happy hours on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at area restaurants. Alumni from Auburn University will head to Compleat Angler while alumni from the University of Alabama will head to LuLu's. Baumhower's will host the SEC East, and Cobalt will host the rest of the SEC West schools.
Anglers can wet a line for the SEC BeachFest Fishing Challenge on Saturday at 7 a.m. for $200 per angler. A special boat sponsorship option for $2,000 puts avid SEC fans in a fishing boat with four of their friends plus the Legendary Coach or Player from their school. Boat sponsorships are granted on a first come, first serve basis and are limited by the availability of Legendary talent. All participating anglers may attend the weigh-in party featuring free food and drinks, live music and meet and greets with the Legends at Wolf Bay Lodge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 5K and one-mile fun run will begin at The Hangout on Saturday at 8 a.m. (fun run begins at 9 a.m.) and end at the same location for a waffle breakfast. Participants are asked to show their school spirit and wear their favorite teams' colors. Guests running the 5K will be charged $35 which includes a weekend pass if registration is received by July 26 ($40 by Aug. 16 and $50 on race day). The one-mile fun run is limited to students ages 18 and younger. One-mile fun run participants will be charged $15 which includes a weekend pass if registration is received by Aug. 16 ($20 on race day). The first 700 race entrants will receive a free race shirt.
Children ages 15 and younger are invited to participate in the free kids' pier fishing tournament at the Gulf State Park Pier on Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
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Alabama's Beaches to Welcome Legendary Coaches and Players for SEC BeachFest in August
SINN: Beaches benefit from passionate people
In the first few years of knowing Amelia, we shared in lip-syncing VH1 music videos, telling scary stories over campfires and jumping trampoline. It's what I like to think of as classic kid stuff.
Most lastingly, we connected over a shared fascination with the natural world around us, specifically the delicate bond between animals and humans.
We spent days and nights tramping around the woods and wetlands that surrounded our houses, scooping everything from tadpoles to garter snakes out from under logs, out of the muck and from the water. We easily, and I believe, maturely, grasped at the complex and fragile balance between these creatures and ourselves a lesson not just in respect for the environment, but in responsibility to it.
Now entering our 20s, as my path has led me down new avenues, Amelias current work reflects her lifelong desire to explore, protect and improve the quality of the environment and its diversity of inhabitants.
This summer, Amelia is partaking in the Central Michigan University Gull Exclusion Study.
In the words of Elizabeth Wheeler, who is one of the professors heading the project: Our overarching objective in this study is public health. She explains that over the past decades, the gull population on public beaches has exceeded normal levels. This has led to conflicts between gull and humans due to bacteria and other microorganisms, which the birds carry to public beaches.
The study seeks to answer two questions: (1) Can border collies discourage gulls from landing at public beaches? And (2) will keeping gulls off the public beaches keep the bacteria levels in swimming water and beach sand at acceptable levels?
Amelias job entails handling a docile, 16-month-old border collie named Darla for morning and evening shifts at the beach.
Darla was previously trained to chase geese off military runways in North Carolina. But now her task is to chase gulls specifically ring-billed and herring gulls from West Michigan beaches.
Amelias and Darlas beach shifts are currently being conducted at North Shore Beach, paired with Kirk Park as the other treatment location. These beaches are treated by the collies against two control beaches: Grand Haven City Beach and a private beach with the Grand Haven Beach Association, which are left alone for the gulls to do as they please.
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Five beaches we love
Photo by Rob Bartlett
Playalinda Beach near parking area 13
Photo by Billy Manes
Cocoa Beach at sunset
Beach access at the end of side roads off State Road A1A, Cape Canaveral Approximate distance from Orlando: 1 hour Fee: None Yes, the other East Coast beaches are better-known and more popular Cocoa Beach, for instance but thats where everyone goes. Sometimes the busier beaches can get so crowded on a hot summer day that they make you feel more like a greasy sardine in a sea of sunblock than a basking mermaid on a sparkling shore. So one sweltering day, while wandering the coast in search of a reasonably bare spot to lay a blanket in the sand, we stopped in Cape Canaveral, just south of the cruise terminal. We traveled along A1A, turned down a side road, headed toward the shoreline and found that, just like in Cocoa, practically every side street ends in a beach-access boardwalk leading over the pretty and surprisingly pristine dunes. The beaches are wide and spacious, littered with pretty seashells and (unlike Cocoa, which requires you to bring your own body weight in quarters to feed the meters) the parking was FREE. And there was plenty to go around. Theres no pier, no Ron Jon Surf Shop and not as many weird beach-bum bars and restaurants. But those are for tourists, anyway. ____________________________________________________________
Beach access is via State Road 402 (Beach Road), Titusville Approximate distance: 1.5 hours Fee: $5 per car What theyll tell you about Playalinda Beach in the guidebooks is that its a pristine natural seashore, one of the few spots on Central Floridas east coast thats unspoiled by development, high-rise hotels or traffic. You can sometimes spot dolphins in the water or sea turtle nests along the beach. And, if you travel way up to the furthest parking lot, youll almost certainly encounter naturists who, even though this is not technically a nude beach, have long used it as a gathering place. If you want just the dolphins and pretty seashore, park anywhere. If you want the nude beach experience, drive all the way to the end, to parking area No. 13. Keep your clothes on until you get across the boardwalk to the beach, though. Even though the authorities often look the other way when it comes to nude sunbathing here, its still illegal. ____________________________________________________________
2995 N. Peninsula Ave., New Smyrna Beach Approximate distance: 1.5 hours Fee: $5 per car Though this beach isnt located on the open ocean its actually on the tip of the New Smyrna Beach peninsula where the Ponce Inlet, Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean meet it has one thing going for it that makes it a standout. Its one of the regions precious few dog-friendly beaches. Park in the lot, hike along the path (but not on the boardwalk, if you brought your dog sadly, dogs arent allowed on the walkway except in the early morning and evening, though were not sure why), and follow the signs for beach access. The beach is narrow along the river, but as you walk toward the inlet, it widens into a great sandy expanse where people set up their umbrellas and beach blankets and romp with their dogs on leash only, please in the gentle waves. The oceans just on the other side of the jetty, and though you really arent supposed to take your dog past that point, if nobodys looking, you can probably get close enough to let him get a taste of what the real ocean is like. Bonus: Theres also a dog-wash station on the way out of the parking lot where you can rinse some of the sand, seaweed and stink off your dog before he gets back in the car.
>Email Billy Manes and Erin Sullivan
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Charlotte county beaches making waves on reality TV pilot
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. - Charlotte County's beaches could soon make waves in a new reality TV show!
County officials approved using almost $80,000 of your money to pay a well known expert to sell what Charlotte has to offer.
"It's the kind of exposure that wouldn't be available if you wanted to buy it and if it was available, you couldnt afford it. So, to have something like this dropped in your lap is really great," said Jerry Jones.
Director of Film and Digital Media, Jerry Jones said production crews could be setting up shop on Charlotte County sand as early as October filming a pilot for a reality TV show featuring beautiful beaches. And who better to do that than Stephen Leatherman or 'Dr. Beach' himself?
Most known for his list of the nation's top ten beaches, Dr Beach visited this area a few years ago. Robin Madden with Islander Properties on Palm Knight Don Pedro Island invited him out here.
"After that he decided he fell in love with the island and Charlotte County and he decided he wanted to develop a series called 'Buying Beachfront' she said.
Making the island the setting for the pilot episode. With Tuesday's green light from the county, tourism leaders are funding the shoot, a $79,000 price tag. "When we have reality shows show up, the response is huge. Because it gives national exposure and these are programs that get shown not just once, but they get repeated," Jones added.
Dr Beach will also use some of that money to create a three-minute promotional video just about Charlotte County.
"It's going to put us on the map," Madden added.
Tourism leaders say Dr Beach will market the TV show to networks like the Weather Channel, Discovery America and HGTV.
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Sandy Debris Causes Middletown to Ban Swimming at Beaches | MetroFocus – Video
Sandy Debris Causes Middletown to Ban Swimming at Beaches | MetroFocus
Beach-goers aren #39;t allowed to swim at Middletown #39;s two beaches, a first for the Monmouth County community. Read more on the MetroFocus website: http://bit.ly...
By: THIRTEEN
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Sandy Debris Causes Middletown to Ban Swimming at Beaches | MetroFocus - Video
MetroFocus Full Episode: Sandy Rebuilding, Closed Beaches, Gospel of Freedom, Ikea Wedding – Video
MetroFocus Full Episode: Sandy Rebuilding, Closed Beaches, Gospel of Freedom, Ikea Wedding
This edition of MetroFocus looks at the $20 billion plan proposed by Mayor Bloomberg to strengthen New York City #39;s defenses and infrastructure in the wake of...
By: THIRTEEN
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MetroFocus Full Episode: Sandy Rebuilding, Closed Beaches, Gospel of Freedom, Ikea Wedding - Video
Beaches of Sosua, Dominican Republic – Video
Beaches of Sosua, Dominican Republic
A video showing the coast and beaches of Sosua, Dominican Republic. Filmed from a yacht deck, this video is an interesting and valuable visual archive for tr...
By: goldentreasuresdr
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St. Petersburg / Pinellas Beaches in a Minute – Video
St. Petersburg / Pinellas Beaches in a Minute
St. Petersburg / Pinellas Beaches in a Minute.
By: VISIT FLORIDA
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Feature Albums: Beaches – She Beats
Thu 20th Jun, 2013 in Music Reviews
Melbourne quartet Beaches produced an excellent debut album five years ago that reinforced the continued relevance of creative guitar music. Thankfully the group have again convened to collectively pen a new batch of free-ranging, sonically psych-imbued songs that highlight their ability to compose songs rich in melody across an expansive musical terrain.
In some ways Beaches are an instrumental band. Sure, they have vocals on a number of tracks but really they best serve as another layer of notes and melodies to bolster the intertwining guitars and drums around them. The real delight in She Beats is the way they balance the more straightforward jangly guitar pop of songs like Dune, the irrepressible Chills-esque Send Them Way and the Pixies surf (alt) rock of Runaway with outstanding psych/drone workouts like Distance and Granite Snake. Both songs feature the stellar guest guitar work of krautrock master Michael Rother (Neu!, Harmonia) and both succeed by virtue of the intensive rhythm section and the avoidance of vague noodling, a hallmark of the best space rock.
She Beats is another strong addition to Beaches discography, an album for all seasons via its masterful interpretations of dark and light textures and simply just a great hook-laden psychedelic rock record.
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