A Letter to Kate Brown

A letter to Kate Brown

Dear Kate Brown, Oregon is a unique state because there are no private beaches, the beach belongs to the people of oregon and we are one of the only states where there are no private beaches. Having that law is a privilege that the majority of the nation does not have so we should try to have our beaches be as clean as possible. Oregon’s beaches are relatively well kept when compared to the rest of the nation but there are some hot spots of beach pollution on the more popular beaches like Nye Beach, Cannon Beach, and Harris Beach. In 2008, many beaches had water samples tested for levels of enterococci which essentially is an indicator for fecal bacteria or in more simpler terms, poop which can be a breeding ground for some deadly bacteria such as E.Coli. Some of the results we got back were horrific, when comparing the results to the nation standard for enterococci. While some of Oregon’s most popular beaches such as Cannon Beach tested with 4% more enterococci than the national standard and Nye Beach tested even worse with 7% more enterococci than national standard. But what is truly horrifying is the test results that came back from Harris Beach. Harris Beach was tested with 20% more than the national standards for levels of enterococci. Studies conducted on Harris Beach concluded that the cause for the disgustingly high amounts of fecal matter on the beach was a combination of failed waste treatment systems, sewage connections that didn’t work properly, and fecal matter from pets that ended up in storm drains. Frank Burris, who is a Oregon State University watershed extension agent who led the studies on Harris Beach found a obvious connection between human construction dealing with sewage around beaches and the unnatural level of fecal matter on the beach. Burris was quotes as saying "It's a significant problem. It's really Oregon's biggest beach problem." and frankly I agree with him. It’s a serious issue that some of Oregon’s most unique features are being polluted with fecal matter. It’s discouraging to everyone and just gives Oregon a bad look. This major issue can be solved with the more support from the government. Oregon monitors 23 out of 59 beaches and none of them are monitored more than once a week. If the government can hire people to monitor the all beaches at least once a week then I have no doubt in my mind that the beaches will see a major increase in cleanliness. Having cleaner beaches will have a positive effect on oregon both economically and environmentally. Cleaner beaches mean more tourists will visit them and in turn visit Oregon, no one wants to visit a beach when you have the possibility to get sick from the levels of fecal matter in the war. Also less fecal matter would mean a better life for the wildlife not accommodated to the unnaturally high levels of fecal matter. Please Kate Brown, do something to help all the

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