City officials estimated approximately 1 million people paid local beaches a visit over the July 4 holiday weekend, less than last year in part due to cloudy weather along the coast. Those who did hit the sand were relatively well behaved, as the weekend passed without any major incidents. “Despite the large crowds at the beaches, bays, parks and entertainment districts, there were no significant incidents and the weekend proved to be a safe and enjoyable one for visitors and residents alike,” said San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Northern Division Capt. Chris Ball. On local beaches, the SDPD handed out 169 misdemeanor alcohol citations from 7 a.m. Friday, July 2 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 5 –— 19 less than last year. There were three felony arrests during this year’s holiday weekend, six less than in 2009. Sobriety checkpoints were set up on both Garnet and Grand avenues on July 2. During the checkpoints, police gave 40 drivers DUIs. “From Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores to south Mission, everyone was having a great Fourth of July weekend and we just didn’t see the problems out there,” Ball said. In the water, city lifeguards made a total of 232 rescues, 30 less than in 2009. The busiest day on city beaches was July 4, when 584,750 people staked out a spot on the sand. “The water temperature dipped down to 62 and 63 degrees and that has a big influence on the number of people that go out and hang out in the water,” said Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum. “Once the water warms up, we increase the number of rescues because of the sheer number of people.” After the July 4 festivities, Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter held its seventh annual Morning After Mess beach cleanup day. On the morning of July 5, more than 750 volunteers picked up 2,300 pounds of trash and 8,000 cigarette butts from five sites around San Diego County, including Belmont Park in Mission Beach and Sail Bay. “It seemed like the beach was relatively clean this year. We were pleasantly surprised,” said Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter coordinator Bill Hickman. “There were still some issues on some surrounding streets, sidewalks and parks, but to have less of a mess on the beach was a great thing.” In Pacific Beach, the cleanup included Kate Sessions Park. Hickman said volunteers at the park had their hands full. “They just noticed lots of packaging left behind,” Hickman said. “It seems like they had a big crowd up there and not everyone used all the trash cans that were provided. Luckily, it wasn’t right next to the beach or ocean, so we had a little extra time to clean it up.”