Community Corner

The Wedge Makes Heal the Bay 'Honor Roll'

Heal the Bay gives Newport's beaches A's and B's its annual beach report card. The Wedge scores a spot on the "Honor Roll."

The Wedge in Newport Beach received a stellar ranking on Heal the Bay's annual beach report card landing on its Honor Roll. Several other city beaches did well in the survey too.

Heal the Bay's 2013 Beach Report Card was released Thursday and includes a summary of the past year’s shoreline water health at more than 600 beach monitoring locations across California, Washington and Oregon. According to the report card, the Wedge received an A+ for having "excellent water quality throughout the year." Other A+ grades were given to the Balboa Beach/Balboa Pier, projection of 38th Street, projection of 52nd/53rd Street, Lido Yacht Club Beach and Crystal Cove for water quality during the summer months. Corona del Mar State Beach was ranked in the A category, while Little Corona Beach received a B.

Grades are based on water quality, bacteria and pollution. Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry said the city is proud of the water quality at Newport's beaches.

"It is the result of hard work by our staff and residents to reduce urban runoff and to prevent pollutants from even getting to the water," Curry said.

Overall beaches in Orange County faired well in the annual survey, with 95 of 102 testing spots being given an A or B during the summer. San Clemente's Poche Beach and Doheny State Beach in San Juan Capistrano were listed on the report card's Top 10 Beach Bummers for being among the "most polluted beaches in the state."
 
Across the state only three percent of testing sites across California earned grades of D or F in the beach report card.

Get the complete Newport Beach report card at healthebay.org.

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-City News Service contributed to this report.



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