[UPDATED with Correct Coastkeeper:] Orange County Clean Beaches? App-solutely!

Categories: Environment
See update at the end of this post.

ORIGINAL POST, JUNE 1, 6:34 A.M.: Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card unveiled last week showed 94 percent of Orange County beaches received A and B grades for water quality during dry weather last summer, while a still-respectable 87 percent got A's and B's in the winter.

On the minus side, Poche near San Clemente and Doheny of Dana Point landed on the Beach Bummer list of the state's 10 most-polluted beaches.

If you need to know which beach is cleanest right now, you're in luck: There's an app for that.

And it's free!

San Luis Obispo's Coastkeeper chapter*, leaning on technology created by Lake Ontario, Canada's Waterkeeper Alliance, has developed a smart phone application that provides the latest water-quality rating for each Orange County beach. (*See Coastkeeper clarification at end of this post.)

Please keep up.

Actually, The Swim Guide covers more than 400 California beaches, so you folks freezing your coconuts off in Cayucos are in luck, too.

Besides letting you know if the water is clean, the app provides directions, view photos and such details as whether it's a good spot for groms. Users can rate their experience at the beach and even report pollution immediately, before the gubment tells you it's there.

One thing the app doesn't provide is information of how to keep a smart phone dry in wet board shorts.

UPDATE, JUNE 12, 8 A.M.: Surmising that Lake Ontario, Canada's Waterkeeper Alliance and/or San Luis Obispo's Coastkeeper chapter relied on an East Coast public relations firm that obviously does not know Morro Bay from the Magic Kingdom, Orange County Coastkeeper wants you to know that it was that chapter that helped develop The Swim Guide for our local beaches.

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
Sort: Newest | Oldest

From the Vault

 

©2013 OC Weekly, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Orange County

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city