A Surprise Way to Keep Our Beaches Clean: Pass a Climate Bill

For the more than two decades I have been working to clean up our nation's beaches and waterways, the Clean Water Act has been the primary tool of my trade. But this year, I have a new solution to turn to: the clean energy and climate bill working its way through Congress.

What does an energy bill have to do with beachwater? An awful lot, it turns out, because global warming poses an immediate risk to nearly every town and city beach across the country.

I saw for myself how this works just a few weeks ago. Like millions of Americans, I fled the August heat by heading to the beach. My family chose Block Island, just off the coast of Rhode Island, for our swimming holiday. But our trip was cut short when Hurricane Bill loomed on the horizon and prompted many vacationers to evacuate.

It turns out Hurricane Bill wasn't as powerful as expected. Still, I don't regret leaving early. I have learned from my years as a water advocate that you don't want to swim at the beach after a powerful rainstorm, whether it's a hurricane or a sudden downpour.

Why? Because when it rains on town and city streets, water rushes into storm drains, pulling oil, toxins, and fertilizers along with it. In many communities, stormwater gets passed through the same pipes as sewage, and when the system gets swamped by rain, the sewage gets dumped raw -- with all its cargo of infectious bacteria, viruses, and parasites -- right next to nearby beaches.

In NRDC's Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches, we discovered that there were more than 20,000 days of closings and advisories in 2008. Stormwater runoff was the number one identified cause.

Global warming could send these beach closing numbers through the roof.

Global warming will cause more extreme storm events, including downpours. And the more powerful storms we have, the more pathogens will end up in our beaches -- specifically more microbes that cause stomach flu, diarrhea, skin rashes, and neurological and blood infections.

Luckily, those of us who care about keeping our beaches safe and clean and open have this new tool at our disposal: the climate legislation that passed through the House in June and is now headed to the Senate.

The bill could help protect our beaches in three critical ways.

1. It will set firm limits on global warming pollution, which will help minimize the impacts of climate change, including storm events.
2. It calls for protecting the wetlands, coastal dunes, and other natural systems that buffer us from storms and help filter out pollutants in stormwater.
3. It offers funding for water utilities and sewage treatment plants to update their storm drains and make their infrastructure more resilient to climate change.

Since the Senate has not yet released its own version of the bill, we don't yet know exactly which programs will be included in the final version. But I remain optimistic.

Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland, for instance, is not only a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee charged with drafting the Senate climate bill, but he is also the chair of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. He is well informed about and able to communicate the interplay between fighting global warming and keeping our water clean.

I encourage you to add your voice to this effort. Click here to tell your senator that you support combating climate change and preserving our beaches at the same time. You can also click here to find out how well your favorite beaches are handling stormwater, and then contact your local officials to encourage them to support the climate bill -- the newest thing in clean water protection.

This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog.

 

Comments

[JanBjernfalk]

As for storms and beaches, here is the effect of Global Warming so far:
Tropical Cyclone (hurricane, typhoon, tropical storms, etc) activity is at a 40-year low.

http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/~maue/tropical/global_running_ace.jpg

Is the author suggesting that Cap and Trade is going to improve on this? How?

[BannedNBoston]

There are lots of good ideas we dont need carbon taxes

Mars is Melting
Mars is Melting. The south polar ice cap of Mars is receding, revealing frosty mountains, rifts ... CO2; that's why the seasonal polar caps are made of dry ice. ...
science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/07aug_southpole.htm

[Thirdcoastkites]

This comment is pending approval and won't be displayed until it is approved.

Well I certainly support clean water, as my business depends on it, as does much of Michigan's economy. Though much discussion has been had about Michigan's faltering economy due to the collapse of the auto industry, Michigan has the most coastline in the lower 48 states, and some of the most beautiful beaches and coastal communities in the U.S. It is our extraordinary natural resources that not only sustain our spirits through recreation, but sustain our economy because you can't outsource the jobs associated with the Great Lakes.

I don't understand critics of a greener society - they sound like children who argue they shouldn't have to do math homework because they figure they'll never need the skill "in the real world"...s­o short sighted.

Environmental = Economical
http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

[Thirdcoastkites]

Well I certainly support clean water, as my business depends on it, as does much of Michigan's economy. Though much discussion has been had about Michigan's faltering economy due to the collapse of the auto industry, Michigan has the most coastline in the lower 48 states, and some of the most beautiful beaches and coastal communities in the U.S. It is our extraordinary natural resources that not only sustain our spirits through recreation, but sustain our economy because you can't outsource the jobs associated with the Great Lakes.

I don't understand critics of a greener society - they sound like children who argue they shouldn't have to do math homework because they figure they'll never need the skill "in the real world"...s­o short sighted.

Environmental = Economical
http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

[martinfrosa]

Global Warming is not causing an increase in the force of tropical storms. If you don't believe me, maybe the words of Dr. Chris Landsea, a federal hurricane researcher, will be more convincing. Landsea resigned from advising the IPCC when they began to "politicize" his results. In his letter, Landsea indicates no link between storm intensity and global warming. Here's the link:

http://www.climatechangefacts.info/ClimateChangeDocuments/LandseaResignationLetterFromIPCC.htm

[JanBjernfalk]

Interesting letter - thank you.

[MGhamma]

If we took "could, "maybe', and "possible" from you deniers when you try to "argue" the science of global warming, you'd be mute.

Wait a minite, what am I saying? You'd just talk more, and say even less than before, if that's possible.

[Rhetticent]

Yet another hysterical "Global warming could make all our babies be born naked" article. I we took "could" "may" and "possible" away from the Church of Global Warming adherents, you would be mute.