A national report paints a dismal picture of Ohios beaches, ranking them among the dirtiest in the country. <\/p>\n
The Natural Resources Defense Council report says Ohios beaches rank 29th in cleanliness, among 30 states. <\/p>\n
In 2011, about 22 percent of the samples taken from designated beach areas in Ohio exceeded national standards, according to the report. <\/p>\n
The report does not mention heavy rainfall made 2011 a particularly bad year for polluted rainwater runoff in Ohio. Flood waters overwhelmed sewage treatment systems in Sandusky, Port Clinton and other communities along the lake last year. <\/p>\n
That high runoff contributed to last years harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie the worst in many years. <\/p>\n
So far, 2012 has seen much less rainfall, and the harmful algal bloom in the lake is expected to be much smaller. <\/p>\n
The resources council pegs a beach in Vermilion as perhaps the worst in the state. <\/p>\n
Stated the report: The beaches with the highest percent exceedance rates of the state standard in 2011 were Edson Creek in Erie County (52 percent); Lakeview Beach in Lorain County (51 percent); and Villa Angela State Park (50 percent), Edgecliff Beach (50 percent), Moss Point Beach (47 percent), and Sims Beach (47 percent) in Cuyahoga County. <\/p>\n
The resources council has said its report analyzes contamination from animal and human waste. <\/p>\n
Beaches in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and New York were among the top 15 repeat offenders, with high bacteria counts for many years, the council stated in a release. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Ohio beaches among the dirtiest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A national report paints a dismal picture of Ohios beaches, ranking them among the dirtiest in the country. Continue reading