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Water Quality Reports
County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health Services |
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Water Quality Reports
County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health Services |
WATER QUALITY ADVISORY :
All beaches tested this week met safe body contact standards.
THE FOLLOWING AREAS ARE PERMANENTLY POSTED BY THE COUNTY DUE TO ROUTINELY HIGH BACTERIA LEVELS:
The County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health Service provides
water quality information to concerned swimmers to alert them to
areas that may be contaminated by fecal indicator bacteria.
You may listen to the latest water quality updates by dialing (831)454-3188 and listening to the menu to find information about fresh water lagoons and ocean beaches. Click here for Recreational Water Quality Monitoring information.
For clarification of methods and interpretation of results please contact Steve Peters at (831)454-5010 or e-mail @ env032@co.santa-cruz.ca.us.
If you believe you may have been exposed to illness through water contact, please fill out an Illness Report.
Test results reflected below are the latest analysis of the locations indicated. NA indicates "not available at this time." TNTC indicates levels "too numerous to count". Safe swimming standards indicate that single-sample levels of Enterococcus bacteria greater than 104 cfu (colony forming units), E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria greater than 400 cfu and total coliform levels greater than 10,000 cfu per 100mLs. of water may contain disease-causing organisms and be hazardous to swimmers.
Ocean results are expressed as most-probable number, (MPN), of bacteria per 100 milliliters of water. Also included in this weeks ocean bacteria analysis for several of the more heavily visited beaches are results for Enterococcus and Total Coliform bacteria. A direct relationship between water-related illness and the levels of E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria and total coliform bacteria exists when the E. coli or fecal coliform/total coliform ratio exceeds 0.1 and the total coliform level exceeds 1000cfu. Freshwater bacteria testing results are expressed as Colony-forming units, (cfu), per 100 milliliters of water.
The California Department of Heath Services has reinstated the quarantine on bi-valve shellfish; including mussels, clams and oysters for Santa Cruz County. The quarantine, which had been in effect in the State of California, including Santa Cruz County, had been lifted on November 1. The quarantine period, normally from May 1 through October 31, was re-issued due to elevated levels of domoic acid in mussel tissues in Santa Cruz County. This quarantine is based on the potential for red tides to cause bi-valve shellfish to be toxic. Each year Santa Cruz County coastal waters experience several red tides during the quarantine period. A variety of red tide organisms are seen each year some of which can turn shellfish meats toxic.
| Location | E. coli | Enterococcus | Total Coliform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Bridges Beach | 5 | 5 | 331 |
| Cowell Beach at Stairs | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Cowell Beach west of Wharf | 20 | 10 | 233 |
| Main Beach at Boardwalk | 52 | 52 | 226 |
| Main Beach at San Lorenzo River | 20 | 5 | 253 |
| Seabright Beach | 20 | 5 | 435 |
| Twin Lakes Beach | 5 | 5 | 231 |
| Pleasure Point Beach | 20 | 5 | 20 |
| Capitola Beach west of Jetty | 20 | 5 | 408 |
| Capitola Beach east of Jetty | 20 | 5 | 75 |
| New Brighton Beach | 10 | 20 | 435 |
| Seacliff State Beach | 20 | 5 | 20 |
| Rio del Mar Beach | 41 | 20 | 488 |
| Palm/Pajaro Dunes Beach | 10 | 10 | 189 |
Trends for Weekly-Sampled Sites (E. coli Bacteria):
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| Location | Fecal coliform (Cfu per 100 ml. Water) |
|---|---|
| Moore Creek at mouth | 100 |
| Neary Lagoon at mouth | 150 |
| Schwan Lagoon at mouth | 320 |
| Soquel Creek at Capitola Beach | 180 |
| Soquel Creek at Olive Springs Rd. | 125 |
| Porter Gulch at New Brighton Beach | 50 |
| Aptos Creek at Rio del Mar Beach | 90 |
| Valencia Creek at Aptos Creek | 220 |
| Aptos Creek at Valencia Creek | 30 |
| Pajaro River at mouth | 100 |
| Corralitos Creek at Browns Valley Rd. | 25 |
| Brown Creek at 621 Brown's Valley Rd. | 135 |
| Corralitos Creek at Rider Rd. | 105 |
| Major's Creek at mouth | 15 |
| Laguna Creek at Laguna Beach | 45 |
| Mill Creek at Bonny Doon Rd. | 32 |
| Laguna Creek at Reggiardo Creek | 48 |
| Major's Creek at Smith Grade | 3 |
| Location | Fecal Coliform (Cfu per 100 ml. Water) |
|---|---|
| San Lorenzo River at Trestle | 60 |
| San Lorenzo River at Laurel St. | 160 |
| San Lorenzo River at Sycamore Grove | 30 |
| San Lorenzo River at Big Trees | 40 |
| San Lorenzo River above Love Creek | 50 |
| San Lorenzo River at River Street | 110 |
| Carbonera Creek at Branciforte Creek | 140 |
| Branciforte Creek at Isbel Dr. | 100 |
| Gold Gulch at Hwy 9 | 90 |
