Texas beaches aided by drought

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The wicked drought that plagued Texas last year had an upside: cleaner beaches.

With the state in the grips of its driest year on record, less polluted runoff from Houston and other cities poured into coastal waters.

As a result, the number of times Texas beaches were closed or had posted advisories because of high bacteria levels in 2011 dropped by nearly half from the previous year, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, which has prepared the report for 22 years, said Texas' cleaner waters were partly because of the record dry spell. Overall, the state ranked eighth for water quality among the 30 in the survey.

"It is the silver lining of the drought," said Ellis Pickett, a longtime surfer and advocate for the Texas coast.

A high bacteria count in the water at beaches increases the risk of ear infections, skin rashes and stomach illnesses for swimmers.

Texas had one its worst years for water quality in 2010, with 704 instances in which officials closed beaches and posted advisories, largely because of flooding along the Rio Grande.

The number of closings and advisories dropped to 384 last year as Texas dried out. The statewide average rainfall totaled just 14.88 inches for 2011, well below the average of 27.92 inches per year over the last century, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

"Heavy rainfall will exacerbate the problem," said Steve Fleischli, the NRDC's water program director.

The difference from year to year was most apparent at South Padre Island, where flooding in 2009 increased bacteria levels for several days at a time. In the latest report, the popular South Texas beach was one of only 12 nationwide to receive the NRDC's highest rating of five stars.

The chronically dirty beaches in Corpus Christi and surrounding Nueces County also had cleaner water last year, but still accounted for half of the state's beach closings and advisories.

Galveston County, meanwhile, had 13 beaches, including Apffel Park and Stewart Beach, where water quality improved or remained the same from 2009.

Even with the assist from the drought, the NRDC said local, state and federal officials could do more to limit polluted runoff, including the use of "green infrastructure," such as porous pavement that allows rainwater to seep into the ground rather than enter sewers.

"Green infrastructure stops rain where it falls," Fleischli said, "so it does not run off the streets and bring pollution to the beaches."

matthew.tresaugue@chron.com