EL NINO WATCH: STORM WATERS LEAVE PACIFIC IN UNCLEAN STATE.Byline: Jennifer Knight Daily News Staff Writer Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, coastal waters have received a failing grade after El Nino-driven rains sent billions of gallons of raw sewage and toxins into the ocean, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a new Heal the Bay Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental advocacy non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, California. Heal the Bay is dedicated to protecting California's Santa Monica Bay, a region of the Pacific coast encompassed by Malibu's Point Dume on the north and the Palos Verdes study. Of 60 beaches monitored monthly, a record 46 received an F grade during periods of rain in February and 58 beaches earned a C or lower for the entire month, the study said. ``These were the worst grades we've ever given in the history of our report card,'' said Mark Gold, an executive director for Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica-based organization that has been issuing the monthly grades for the past four years. ``This is something to be taken very, very seriously, because the water quality was as poor as you could possibly get from the standpoint of health,'' Gold said. Plumes of pollution were measured as far as 10 kilometers off the coast and as far down as 30 yards deep. Heavy rains driven by El Nino in the past month are blamed for overloading sewage systems across Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and Ventura counties, leading to more beach closures in February than during the three previous years combined, the report says. ``Long-term, what the month demonstrated was that the fight for stopping sewage spills never ends,'' Gold said. Los Angeles sanitation officials say they are working to correct the problems. ``It is an infrastructure that needs work, it needs funding. We're going as fast as we can to meet the needs of the system,'' said Jim Langley Jim Langley (born Kilburn, London, February 7 1929 was a former professional footballer (full back) in the 1950s and 1960s. Jim joined QPR from Fulham in 1965 in the twilight of his career and was a member of the double winning side of 1966-67 that captured both the Third , assistant director for the Bureau of Sanitation. But, he added, ``If you were to design a system to handle a storm that happens every 150 years, it would not be economical.'' With storm season still under way, environmentalists have no real data on the overall impacts on area marine life. ``We have found in some areas where we see runoff discharges, that there are some changes in these areas in marine life and sediment, but we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. the exact cause yet,'' said Steven Bay, a toxicologist toxicologist (tok´sikol´  jist),n a person versed in toxicology. toxicologist a specialist in toxicology. for Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Urban runoff from storm drains were a major source of toxic pollution to the Southland Coastal area. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Gold warns swimmers to avoid the ocean for at least three days after a major rain and a week after a sewage spill to avoid any health hazards. |
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