As Drought Continues in California, Beaches Witness Better Water Quality

The current drought California is facing is one of the most severe on state record, with Governor Jerry Brown declaring a state of emergency in January. But California's recent droughts are doing something unexpected; they're improve beaches' water quality. 

As of May 14, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries announced a Voluntary Drought Initiative in order to protect populations of salmon and steelhead due to the drought conditions. Inland waters are experiencing the brunt of the problems, but the Pacific Ocean along the coast seems to be doing well.

The record-low rainfall over the past two years has made waters along the California coast much cleaner, according to the state's annual Beach Report Card that was released on Thursday for 2014. About 95% of California's beaches (a total of 431) received A or B grades based on tests from the summer of 2013. Last year's drought wasn't as severe as this year's, which could mean the water quality might improve even more.

"During drier weather conditions there is less overall runoff, which is the main source of pollutants, such as bacteria, to the beach water," officials stated in the Heal the Bay report. "Beach water quality grades may be higher in a given year due to less runoff, yet the resulting improved water quality may be providing a false sense of long-term beach water quality improvement." 

Only 23 beaches across the state received grades between a C and F and 33 beaches received A+ grades, earning them "honor roll" status. However, these numbers could drastically change if an El Niño develops in the Pacific Ocean later this year; the system could cause a greater amount of runoff, and possibly in an unprecedented manner, since the last two years have witnessed such dry conditions.

But cities such as San Francisco are taking advantage of this current dry period to prepare for a possible excessive runoff in the future. They're working on expanding its sewer and storm drain system to divert runoffs to decrease the chances of sewage overflows, which would ensure good sanitation.

Nonetheless, California still remains on watch for the current drought that could result in major water shortages if the state doesn't receive precipitation in the near future.