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coastal dwellers

fisherman

"If I had a cut my mom would say, 'Go into the ocean. It will heal you.' Now that's probably the last thing you want to do."

Donna Frye, surf shop owner, San Diego, CA

Every day, 1,500 homes are built on the U.S. coastline, pushing trash, sewage, chemicals and fertilizers into our oceans. Donna's fight for clean water took her to a seat on the city council. Read her story below, and see our resources for coastal residents.

Donna Frye's Story

During her 50 years in San Diego, Donna Frye has seen some of her favorite beach areas morph from funky, eclectic communities into homogenized strip malls populated by hotels and bars. Breakneck development along U.S. coasts has put pressure on aging sewer and drainage systems, resulting in water-main bursts, sewer overflows and more polluted runoff in our oceans, as heavy rains wash pesticides, trash, motor oil and other harsh chemicals off slick, paved surfaces directly into storm drains.

In the mid-1990s, Donna, a longtime clean water activist, noticed that her husband, surfing legend Skip Frye, and many friends frequently fell ill. Donna discovered that popular surfing spots were located next to storm drain outflow pipes. She realized that polluted runoff was being discharged, untreated, into the ocean, and she suspected it was making her friends sick.

Preserving the Coastal Life

If Donna were to close her surf shop in the middle of the day, "the sign on the door wouldn't say Gone Surfing," she says with a chuckle. "It would say Gone to Regional Water Quality Board Meeting." After years of campaigning, with help from NRDC, the Clean Water Network and other groups, Donna got the city to pay attention. At one point she and her cohorts climbed through the sewer system with cameras to document leaky pipes. Today California monitors water pollution at every beach in the state. And Donna herself is serving on the San Diego City Council, where she continues to advocate for tough limits on storm water overflows, better maintenance of sewer systems, and small-scale development along the coast instead of massive high-rises.

If you live on the coast, one thing you can do to help cut down on runoff pollution is to use fewer toxic chemicals, such as pesticides and harsh cleansers, around the house and yard. Heavy rains can wash chemicals off lawns, decks and driveways into storm drains. "I always tell people, 'If you don’t want to swim in it, don't throw it down the storm drain,'" Donna says. "Because that’s where it ends up."

Resources for Coastal Residents:
State of our Seas: San Francisco Bay Oil Spill
Water Quality Map: Better Know a Beach
Tips for Homeowners: How to Protect Your Coast from Water Pollution
More on Storm Water Pollution