Cameron Beaches Polluted

By RICHARD BURGESS

The state Department of Health and Hospitals on Friday issued swim advisories for public beaches in Cameron Parish, except one, after testing found high levels of a bacteria used as an indicator of sewage.

The advisories include Holly Beach, Rutherford Beach, Hackberry and all of the Constance-area beaches except Martin.

The beaches – in an area still not fully recovered from Hurricane Rita – have not been closed but signs have been posted warning that swimming is not advised.

Boating, fishing and land-based activities are still considered safe, according to DHH.

The beaches are among 13 along the Gulf of Mexico coast that are tested weekly over the summer as part of the state’s Beach Monitoring Program.

Of all the beaches in the program, the Cameron Parish beaches have been the most problematic.

Hackberry and Rutherford beaches have been under a constant advisory since weekly testing began in May 2006, and all other Cameron Parish beaches except Martin have had at least one advisory so far this summer.

By contrast, beaches at Cypremort Point, Grand Isle and Fourchon have had no advisories this year, according to DHH records.

Public health workers test the beaches for specific bacteria that serve as indicators of human or animal waste.

Illnesses associated with such pollution range from minor diarrhea and digestive problems to hepatitis.

Still uncertain is where the waste is coming from, said DHH spokesman Bob Johannessen.

He said no money is available for studies to track the source of water-quality problems identified by the beach sampling, which has been funded since 2001 by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The unfortunate thing for us is that the EPA grant allows only for testing and education,” Johannessen said.

While there have been no definitive studies on the source of water-quality problems at the Cameron beaches, speculation has focused on runoff from coastal cattle fields and home sewer systems.

“There are cattle running up and down those beaches. There is very little doubt that’s a contribution,” said Chris Piehler, an environmental scientist with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

But cattle are not thought to be the sole source of the problem, he said, and Hurricane Rita called into question theories about the effect of malfunctioning home sewer systems at camps along the coast.

Many of those camps were destroyed by the hurricane, yet the water-quality problems continue.

“To my understanding, we are still a little in the dark about what is causing it,” Piehler said. “That’s turning out to be more of a mystery.”

He said possible answers might be found in the rivers that empty on the southwest Louisiana coast – the Sabine, the Calcasieu and the Mermentau.

Agriculture runoff and poorly treated waste from the entire watershed could be carried down the rivers and out into coastal waters.

“We are aware of these issues. We try to locate bacteria sources and apply a mitigating strategy,” Piehler said.

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