'High water quality' for Californian beaches

Beaches along the Californian coastline have been praised for their high-quality water, it has emerged.

According to a report released by Heal the Bay, the area's beaches are of a high standard, a result it has achieved for the second consecutive year.

However, celebrations were overshadowed by a state decision to cut funding to water monitoring operations in the area, latimes.com reported.

This week, state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the decision to cut state funding of water monitoring programmes by $1million (£543,330).

"It would have been a good news story. Here we have arguably the most successful water quality monitoring program in the state of California and governor Schwarzenegger, with his blue pencil, decided to eliminate funding," said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay.

A total of 91 per cent of the state's beaches were reported to have "excellent" or "very good" water quality in the report.

Heal the Bay describes itself as a "nonprofit environmental organisation" with the aim of making beaches along the California coastline "safe, healthy and clean".