Nation's Beach Closings Soar

4 August 2000 - 9:00am

Number of U.S. pollution-related beach closings and warnings increased 50 percent from 1997 to 1999.

According to "Testing the Waters 2000", an annual report on water quality by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the number of U.S. pollution-related beach closings and warnings increased 50 percent from 1997 to 1999. More than half of those closings or warnings were in California. "But the numbers do not necessarily mean there was an increase in pollutants flowing into the ocean here. Rather, the council's lawyers said, the increase reflects an increased amount of testing to reveal the problem. "

Source: The New York Times, August 4, 2000
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