With Summer warm weather almost here, it's time to start hearing about e coli counts at Charlotte Beach. Kids, grab your swimsuits, let's get out and jump into some shit!
The Corps of Engineers' solution for Charlotte's bacteria will probably involve a pumping system to move bacteria-laden algae away from the beach. Despite new evidence that beach sand may harbor even more bacteria than the water itself, this band-aid is probably the best short-term way to keep Charlotte open for more than 2/3 of the season.
Unfortunately, in the long haul, the shit at Charlotte is going to be hard to wipe away. An article in this month's Scientific American explains why: the real culprit in beach contaiminations isn't algae, it's the streets and parking lots that come with population growth.
Did you know that one gram of dogshit contains 23 million bacteria, and that as few as 10 of the most virulent bacteria can cause infection? When rains come in rural environments, dogshit and other forms of crap are washed into the soil and the water is filtered before it hits the lake or ocean. In an urban environment, impermeable surfaces like parking lots don't allow this filtration to occur. Recent research has found a strong correlation between the percentage of impermeable surface and bacteria in the water. In one case, a 13% increase in impermable surface was tied to a 7X increase in bacteria.
The real solutions to crap in the water at Charlotte are expensive and hard to implement. Parking lots can be made with semi-permeable concrete to allow the filtration process to continue. Storm sewer treatment plants can be built to treat runoff that is currently pumped directly into the lake. Wetlands can be created to help filter the water. These aren't cheap quick fixes like the Corps' pump, so it will take a long time for politicians to advocate them, if ever.
In the meantime, clean up after your dog. That shit's disgusting.
