Keynote at the California Water Environmental Association about clean water from a surfer's perspective.

2. THERE ARE 12,000 MILES OF
U.S. COASTLINE
2P: SURFER MAG

3. AN AMAZING WILDERNESS
3

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And Playground

5. FOR ALL TO ENJOY
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OUR MISSION
THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATIONis dedicated to the protection and enjoyment
of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches
through a powerful activist network.

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A POWERFUL ACTIVIST NETWORK
500,000 Supporters
50,000 Members
50,000+ Activists
Chapters AND CLUBS
NATIONWIDE150+
REGIONS10 80 72CHAPTERS ACADEMIC CLUBS

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a powerful structure
National Solutions
Regional Expertise
Local Issues

9. OUR vision
PROTECT 100% OF our COAST
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BRIDGE TO CLEAN WATER
P: Morgan Maassen

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CA TOURISM & RECREATION
Largest driver of coastal economy in the state
150 Million Beach Visits
$20 Billion / Annually
376,000 Jobs
1.9 Billion recreation visits to waters in US

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3 Million surfers in US
1 Million in California
14-100 Million beach visits
Completely immersed
Ingest 10x more water than swimmers
Year round users
Strong contributors to local economies
Surfers

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SurfER HEALTH STUDY
UC Berkeley, SCCWRP & Surfrider
Ocean Beach & Tourmaline in SD
Winter / Storm Water
654 surfers
10,081 surfing sessions
33,000 days of data
Acute Illness Among Surfers After Exposure to Seawater in Dry- and Wet-Weather Conditions. (2017)
Arnold, Ben et al. American Journal of Epidemiology.

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SurfER HEALTH STUDY
> Bacteria after rains
< Less surfers
Surfers are getting sick
+12 GI Cases/1000 (below standard:32)
Many other illnesses
72 Hour rule held
Acute Illness Among Surfers After Exposure to Seawater in Dry- and Wet-Weather Conditions. (2017)
Arnold, Ben et al. American Journal of Epidemiology.

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Cost of IllNESS
Illness from: swimming/wading, paddling, motor-
boating & fishing
Nation’s lakes, rivers and marine beaches.
1.9 Billion recreation visits to waters in US
90 Million Illnesses
$2.9 Billion / cost from illness
Estimate of incidence and cost of recreational waterborne illness on United States surface waters.
(2018) Stephanie DeFlorio-Barker, et al. Environmental Health 17:3

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Cost of IllNESS IN OC / LA
• LA & Orange County
• 627,800 and 1,479,200 "excess" cases of GI
• Healthcare costs $21 to $414 million annually
• Cleanup would prevent 394,000 to 804,000 cases
• Save $13 to $28 million in annual health costs in Los
Angeles County.

17. Malibu:
25,000 - 100,000 excess GI illness due to poor water quality.
$1.1 to $4.2 million in public costs annually
Grade: C -> B.
Increase visits by 1,538 per year.
Increase value $140,000/ year.
Increase spending $45,000/year.

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• Water quality matters to beach goers /
surfers
• People are getting sick
• The standards we have are
strong/protective
• Water pollution has a real cost
• Investing in clean water is worth it
CONCLUSIONS

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THANK YOU.
P: Morgan Maassen

20. SURFRIDER.ORG