Ocean Play Could Cost You

Huntington Beach, Calif.'s pier is a Mecca for board surfers and other waveriders. A study suggests that playing here could cost you more than the price of surfboard and wetsuit.

Urban landscape runoff in Southern California costs surfers and swimmers more than $1.3 million for gastrointestinal illness alone, according to a study published this May in the Journal of Environmental Management.

An average episode of stomach distress costs the victim $36.58 in Pepto Bismol and other expenses, the authors estimate. Even higher per-incident costs result from ?EUR??,,????'??hundreds of thousands?EUR??,,????'?? of respiratory and ear illnesses.

?EUR??,,????'??Urban runoff is of particular concern in the Southern California region of the USA, where the large population and vast expanse of impermeable surfaces generates large volumes of polluted runoff water that can discharge onto popular coastal beaches,?EUR??,,????'?? the authors write.

Previous studies show that ?EUR??,,????'??infectious and toxic pollutants are routinely released?EUR??,,????'?? into coastal waters, and that those pollutants make thousands of people sick each year, the authors state.

The study focused on effects at Huntington Beach and Newport Beach in Southern California.

Measured bacteria levels have exceeded health limits at the spots in recent years, resulting in beach closures that cost the local economy millions of dollars. Bacteria, virus and protozoa levels below closure levels are still high enough to get swimmers sick, the study notes.

The study's principal author is Ryan H. Dwight of the University of California at Irvine. The complete study is available at the journal's website for a fee.

--Erik Skindrud