Ohio's Beaches Get 'F' Grade On New Report

CLEVELAND — Ohio's stretch of Great Lakes beaches received an "F" grade in a new report.

The Surfrider Foundation's annual State of the Beach report issues letter grades (like a school report card) to beaches across the U.S. Each region of the nation is analyzed by its own merits in the report.

The report dinged Ohio for its "bad" sediment management, coastal armoring, sea level rise and development.

"Unfortunately, Ohio’s aquatic habitats are no stranger to harmful algal blooms caused by runoff pollution and intensive land use. Additionally, due to changing weather patterns, including greater precipitation and reduced winter ice, Ohio’s Lake Erie shoreline has experienced exacerbated erosion problems," the report said.

The report specifically cited the annual dredging of shipping lanes, a lack of shoreline setback policy at the state level, and homeowners being encouraged to construct artificial coast protections to prevent erosion (which the report said could disturb aquatic ecosystems).

The whole Surfrider Foundation report can be found online.

"2020 has been an exceptionally challenging year. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest due to racial tensions, and increased problems associated with climate change, our global community is grappling with existential problems that require immediate solutions. While few solutions are readily available or easily implemented, our collective society must have laser focus on solutions in order to turn the tide of the climate crisis," the foundation said in a statement.

The Surfrider Foundation was created in 1984 and has developed into a loose-knit association of volunteer collectives dedicated to preserving aquatic ecosystems.