Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
AUSTIN — Just two Texas beaches won praise Tuesday in an environmental group’s ratings of clean water and protecting the public.
Stewart Beach Park on Galveston Island’s east end and McGee Beach near downtown Corpus Christi earned one star each in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s review of three years of bacteria tests and health practices at 3,516 beaches and beach segments nationwide.
Nationally, 322 beaches received one or more stars, out of a possible five.
“Our beaches are really not that great compared to the rest of the nation,” said Brittany Ballard, citizen outreach director for Environment Texas, which released the national group’s beach ratings.
The two Texas beaches’ commendations were for quick reporting of pollution problems to the public, not pristine water.
Last year, Stewart Beach Park issued seven advisories about excessive levels of the bacterium Enterococcus, which indicates fecal contamination, usually caused by stormwater runoff. McGee Beach issued 14 advisories.
The five-star rating system was a new feature in the council’s 18th annual “Testing the Waters” report. Nationally, 18 beaches got five stars. The closest to Dallas are in Orange County, Calif.; on Lake Superior in Minnesota; and in Ocean City, Md.
To win five stars, a beach not only had to quickly issue advisories, without waiting for resampling or other confirmation. It also had to be monitored more than once a week and exceed national bacteria standards in fewer than 5 percent of those tests.
Texas’ Beach Watch program, administered by the General Land Office, takes weekly samples from 167 sites along the Gulf coast.
According to Natural Resources Defense Council, Stewart Beach last year exceeded bacteria standards in 9 percent of its tests; and McGee Beach, in 19 percent.
Eight Texas beaches exceeded standards more often than McGee: Cole Park, Ropes Park, Emerald Beach, Poenisch Park, Laguna Shores, University Beach and JFK Causeway-Southwest, all in Nueces County; and Nueces Bay Causeway No. 4 in San Patricio County.
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said despite heavier rains last summer, fewer beach advisories were issued between May and September in 2007 than for the same period in 2006.
“Texas beaches are a great place to be,” he said.
During peak swim season, beach advisories were issued “just 5 percent of the time,” said a release from Mr. Patterson’s office.
Ms. Ballard of the state environmental group, though, said using data for the entire year is more helpful, because many families and college students flock to the beach during spring break, which for many falls in March.
In 2007, Texas had 532 advisories, up more than 12 percent from the previous year, she said.
