1. Running Head: COASTAL POLLUTION 1
California’s Coastal Pollution
Christopher Ruper
Argosy University

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Abstract
California’s coastline has been polluted by sources that have had a negative effect on its
ecosystems. To understand this problem one must know the types of pollution California’s
coastlines are faced with, their effects on the coastline, and the benefits of pollution.

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California’s Coastal Pollution
Introduction
California’s coastline is known for its warm weather, warm waters, and beautiful
beaches. Many beach goers do not know the truth behind pollution and its effects on the coastal
ecosystems or on human health. A report was taken on the pollution on California’s coastline,
“The report notes that contamination can make beachgoers sick,” (Brennan, 2009). The effects of
such pollution can cause more harm than just damages to the ecosystem and sickness, “The
Environmental Protection Agency has announced nearly $10 million in grants to assist coastal
states and territories in monitoring for pathogens in recreational waters,” (E.P.A., 2005).
California should do its best to protect its beaches and people that attend them. Beach pollution
is detrimental to the Californian coastline.
Types of pollution
Pollution on California’s coastline can come from various locations. Each cause of
pollution has its own negative effects on the coastal ecosystems and on the health of living
organisms. Some are caused by lack of consideration of human health and others are simply poor
foresight on the parts of engineers when constructing places for water to travel. Some pollution
issues have been left untouched and others have become of great concern to people who try to
protect the Californian coastline. The major causes of pollution on the Californian coastline are
pollution runoff, pollution from beach attendants, pollution from cargo, and air pollution.
Beach pollution runoff is the running off of water from cities into the ocean. These cities
can be right on the coast or miles away. Some storm drains and canals force the water runoff

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from city gutters right into the ocean without proper treatment. “Nearly 70% of the variability in
the coliform record can be attributed to seasonal and interannual variability in local rainfall,
implying that storm water runoff from the surrounding watershed is a primary source of coliform
in Newport Bay,” (Pednekar, 2005). During the construction of these drains not much foresight
was done on the effects these grains would have on California’s coastline. These drains can
contain massive amounts of bacteria during high water flow periods; usually, but not limited to,
rainy seasons. “By quantification of a human-specific Bacteroides marker (HBM), human waste
was evidenced throughout both transects, and concentrations were highest in the discharges of
several flowing storm drains,” (Sercu, 2009).
Pollution from beach attendants is another way that pollution can find its way to the
coast. One very evident type of pollution is bottles water, “some 26 billion bottles of water were
sold in the U.S. in 2005, making us the world leader in consumption of bottled water,” (Wright,
2009). Astoundingly, “only one in six of plastic water bottles were recycled in 2004, and the rest
ended up in landfills or combustion facilities,” (Wright, 2009). It is no surprise that, “the number
one new form of litter along our highways and on beaches is the discarded plastic water bottle,”
(Wright, 2009). Coastal visitors and other attendants can, either by accident or purpose, discard
plastic onto the beaches or into the water. “They live along a coast with the dubious distinction
of having 7 of the state's 10 most polluted beaches, according to the latest report card from the
environmental group Heal the Bay, which has given beaches like Surfrider a failing grade year
after year,” (Navarro, 2007). These ratings tend to be based more on the pollution found on the
beach and only a little emphasis is put on the pollution in the water. These ratings show that the
massive amounts of pollution is the cause of the failing beach grades; which has been happening
for many years.

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Cargo ships are another cause of pollution on California beaches. Ports in California have
been engineered for the imports and exports of large quantities of goods. Large cargo ships are
the cause of massive amounts of pollution as well. “The company based in Hong Kong that
operates the cargo ship that caused a 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay pleaded guilty to
criminal charges. The ship, the Cosco Busan, sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
on Nov. 7, 2007,” (Associated Press, 2009). Oil pollution is hard to clean up and costs lots of
money. It is also important to contain oils spills as they can easily move to the open coastline
from shipping harbors; if they happen inside the harbor. The shipping harbors should not be too
crowded as it increases the chances of collisions such as the Cosco Busan. Concerns have been
taken to large ships and discharges off the coastline in California. “This will establish the largest
coastal 'No Discharge Zone' in the United States and is expected to eliminate millions of gallons
of sewage that large ships discharge every year into local waters,” (E.P.A., 2010). The discharge
zone is for both cargo ships as well as cruise liners.
Finally, air pollution is another form of pollution on California’s coastline. This is mainly
from the diesel engines of trucks and large ships, but all fossil fueled vehicles and factories can
contribute to this type of pollution. “Ships in the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports already
produce nearly as much smog as Southern California's 350 largest industrial polluters
combined,” (Welch, 2004). The gasses released into the air have created smog clouds; one such
cloud can be found lingering over Los Angeles County. These pollution clouds may even be
blown inland from the coast to the cities located off the coast.
Environmental Effects

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The effects of runoff are very detrimental to health and the environment. In one case
treatment of the situation caused an ecosystem to lose water and almost dry up, “Over the course
of the study the marsh received progressively less dry weather surface water runoff from the
surrounding urban landscape due to the implementation of a runoff interception and treatment
program,” (Youngsul, 2008). The bacteria from runoff can be almost worse than actual trash,
“As many as 1.5 million people are sickened by bacterial pollution on Southern California
beaches each year, resulting in millions of dollars in public health care costs, a new study has
found,” (Associated Press, 2006). With the end of the drainage leading right into the coast the
pollution can spread along the coast to the north or south. This creates an even bigger ecological
problem as all animals would be affected from the bacteria.
Beach pollution from visitors can cause harm to local wildlife, mainly birds that try to
feed on the garbage; they tend to be less selective about their consumption. Ocean dwelling
creatures can also get sick from eating plastics and other pollutants. Plastic has been an enemy of
coastal wildlife for many years. Plastic is not biodegradable and may even cause animals to get
entangled in it; this will result in functioning problems. If trash makes its way to the ocean than
ocean animals can also feed on it, making them sick; this will have negative effects on the whole
food chain. Larger animals that feed on smaller sick ones will contract illnesses or be
malnourished from eating malnourished meals. “But there are those who persist in braving the
water, never mind the historic counts of bacteria from fecal matter and other sources that can
cause skin rashes, ear infections and gastrointestinal ailments, or the signs that spell out the
dangers with warnings like 'contact with ocean water at this location may increase risk of
illness’,'' (Navarro, 2007). The risk to the wildlife is coupled with the pollution’s effects on
humans. There are many ailments one can receive from the coastal waters of California.

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Pollution from cargo can be very disastrous to wildlife. In regards to the ship from Hong
Kong that ran into another ship, “The ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the water, killing
thousands of birds and other wildlife and fouling miles of shoreline,” (Associated Press, 2009).
This is not fair to the living organisms that reside in this ecosystem. There are also many
protected habitats in the area of this incident. The money that had to be spent for the cleanup was
astronomical. The “No Discharge Zone” was much needed for the health of all living organisms
on the California coastline. The sewage discharged from the large ships had contributed too
many harmful chemicals being introduced to coastal ecosystems.
Air pollution also contributes to the effects of pollution. It can ruin a sunny day for
recreational beach goers and even cause cancer to people exposed to it. “An estimated one in
every 1,000 residents who has lived in nearby neighborhoods since birth may contract cancer
from the bad air, one study shows,” (Welch, 2004). For local communities that rely heavily on
beach goers for income, having them go to other beaches can affect their business. People would
rather go to beaches with less pollution to vacation and air pollution is not very inviting to
vacationers. These pollution clouds also prevent proper sunlight from reaching plants and other
organisms that need sunlight to function properly. The clouds also contain harmful chemicals
such as CO2 and can be dangerous when in hailed. Acid rain is another effect of air pollution. It
can burn skin and cause harmful effects to living organisms. Acid rain when flushed into a storm
drain will also end up in the ocean even if it does not rain over the sea.
Benefits of pollution
Although not worth the pollution, pollution has had a benefit in California over the years.
The process of cleaning up pollution provides jobs for the state’s residents. Whether the cleanup

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is in the water or on land many cleanup hours are needed along its coastlines to help restore the
coastline to a satisfactory level. “The Environmental Protection Agency has announced nearly
$10 million in grants to assist coastal states and territories in monitoring for pathogens in
recreational waters,” (E.P.A., 2005). With unemployment being at an all time high, providing
jobs for people is invaluable to California’s population.
Conclusion
The coastal waters of California provide a livelihood for many living organisms, not
excluding humans. Many protected and endangered species of organisms have made their
homes on the coastlines of California. Pollution’s effects can be seen at all levels of the food
chain. Small fish get diseases which in turn affects the larger predators. Human health is also
at risk when it comes to this type of pollution; humans eat many things that are found on land
and in the sea from high polluted coastal areas. Since humans regularly use beaches as a place
of recreation and food they can contract many illnesses that reside in this location.
Possible solutions to prevent pollution on beaches have been sought after by many
activists but the costs are great for cleaning up pollution and even greater for pollution found
in the water. The runoff from city pipelines should be treated to prevent disease from entering
the open ocean; but ample water flow is important for the habitats that rely on it. Cargo
regulations have been made but the shipment industry continues to grow every year,
increasing the chances for pollution. More restrictions need to be placed on the shipment
industry. Stricter punishments for polluters may help deter humans from polluting the
coastlines. Prevention is the most effective way to get and keep California’s coastline
pollution at a minimal. The costs of prevention are far cheaper than the costs of cleaning up

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pollution. In some cases cleaning up pollution is not an option; the damage has already been
done.
California beaches are well known though out the world and lots of people come from all
over to enjoy them. Many species of organisms reside in coastal habitat and rely on healthy
ecosystems for survival. Humans need to maintain these habitats by not destroying them with
pollution. Pollution is a problem in California and it should be handled before too much harm
has been done. Future generations of humans and wildlife deserve to experience a healthy
coastline with far less pollution.

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References
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Brennan, P. (2009). O.C. features most 5-star beaches in U.S., report says: but Doheny State
Beach remains among the most contaminated in California. Orange County Register,
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Wright, R.T. (2009). Environmental Science, 10, 478-479. Retrieved from
(Online) URL http://www.argosy.edu Module 6.
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