Water at six SLO County beaches will no longer be tested for pathogens as a result of state budget cuts
Budget cuts bite into beach testing, 14 other sites will continue to be tested
David Sneed
San Luis Obispo Tribune
10/13/2008
As of today, six fewer beaches in San Luis Obispo County will be monitored weekly for bacteria levels — another result of state budget cuts.
Fourteen of the county’s most popular beaches will continue to be sampled.
Those eliminated have historically had the best water quality, said Liberty Amundson, a county environmental health specialist.
The reduction is a result of the state’s most recent budget compromise, which saw $29,000 of funding for the program eliminated.
The county and federal governments still fund the program, but they can’t support the sampling at all 20 beaches without the state funding.
Monitoring at three locations around the Pismo Beach Pier will continue. The beach immediately south of the pier has the county’s worst water quality.
The city has hired microbiologists from Cal Poly to determine where the bacteria are coming from. Continued monitoring around the pier is necessary to support that study, county officials say.
Beaches in the program are those that are both heavily used and have a creek outlet nearby. Creeks are a common source of bacteria, particularly following storms.
The monitoring program consists of a water sample taken from the surf at each location Monday mornings. These samples are sent to a laboratory, where they are tested for three types of common bacteria that are reliable indicators that pathogens are in the water.
Beaches where samples exceed state health standards are posted with signs warning beachgoers to stay out of the water. Samples are taken daily after a beach has been posted. The signs and daily sampling continue until a sample comes back showing safe bacteria levels...
