A precautionary public health advisory was issued today due to a sewage spill off the coast of Cannon Beach. The advisory is due to a 85,000 gallon sewage overflow into the ocean from the waste water treatment plant. This precautionary health advisory will be lifted as soon as the beach water testing results indicate acceptable water quality and the water is safe for recreational use.
Wastewater discharges can increase the risk of higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters, which can result in diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes and other illnesses affecting the eyes, ears, nose and throat.
UPDATED (7/23): Precautionary health advisory warning the public against water contact at Cannon Beach has been removed. Subsequent monitoring shows the concerns about contamination have subsided and the waters do not pose a higher-than-normal risk associated with water contact activities.
All too often I’m faced with the dilemma that is our plastic consumer world. Where are the choices for responsible consumers? I’m on the road quite a bit, burning away my demand on fossil fuels in the vain of making the world’s oceans, waves and beaches a better place in my capacity as a Oregon Field Coordinator for Surfrider Foundation. I dread my consumer world on the road. Although I travel with Kleen Kantene, fuel efficiency and refill my water on the go, I’m often left with miserable choices at gas stations and convenient stores that threaten my health and the environment. I see this picture every time I stroll into a market on the go. Corn syrup and plastic, as far as the eye can see. There are about two or three main stream beverages that are widely obtainable that do not package in plastic. Remove corn syrup from the equation and you’re left drinking out of a faucet. I no longer purchase single use plastic beverage containers. It was a simple decision that I was able to make as a consumer, but the choices are narrow.
Imagine if everyone made this simple consumer decision. Imagine how many beverage companies would be forced to accommodate the needs of the consumers. Make a simple consumer change in your life, rise above plastics. I challenge everyone to pick one plastic consumable in your life and replace it. Maybe it’s your beverage on the go, maybe its your carton of milk, or maybe you’ll make the bigger decision to try and cut as many single use plastics as possible…I dare you. As you’re choices become fewer, you better understand the magnitude of our plastic predicament. Then the swarming pacific gyre of plastic doesn’t seem so far fetched, it’s as simple as the next soda you (and eventually everyone else) purchases. We are a plastic world and we must demand a change and turn our vision to a bright future. Read this blog, send in a comment and remove a piece of plastic from your world and I’ll send you a free t-shirt cause it means that much to me.
I got a warning last week from State Parks about “mysterious silver containers, not to be opened…may contain rat poisoning.” That was all they said and they gave me an 8 ½ x 11 photo of these containers. I started digging on this online this evening…and found this coverage. Haven’t found any good information on the investigation of this, but all they know is: “the containers appear to be from China but officials don’t know what ship—or ships—they are from”.
If you haven’t seen the photos, they’re shocking. This aerial shot over Newport, Oregon isn’t digitally enhanced or altered. The big black spot off the coast is know as the black plume, which is a result of years of environmental degradation by the paper mill, Georgia Pacific.
Staying true to it’s infamous reputation, Georgia Pacific has been releasing by-products of it’s Toledo, Oregon paper mill into local streams. Local streams lead to a larger watershed and watersheds lead to the coast.
See the black plume for yourself by visiting Newport, Oregon on Google Earth.
