Beach closure?
A few times a year, you’ll open your paper and see something like, ‘Oregon health officials issued a water contact advisory for such-and-such a beach.”
The news account will go on to talk about ‘fecal bacteria.”
Besides losing your appetite, you may lose your desire to go to the beach. But there’s really no need to avoid it.
Since 2003, the Oregon Department of Human Services has administered the Beach Monitoring Program, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 81 sample locations at 25 beaches are monitored weekly, every two weeks, or monthly.
Enter Enterococcus
Samples are checked for Enterococcus, a type of bacteria found in human and animal feces. Enterococcus is easy to check for, and its presence indicates the presence of other fecal bacteria, including disease-causing organisms.
Increased levels of fecal bacteria can come from both shore and inland sources. These include wastes from seabirds, pets and livestock, as well as storm water runoff, sewer overflows and failing septic systems.
The Beach Monitoring Program’s testing can’t identify the source of the bacteria. But if program staff are aware of, for example, a recent sewage spill in the area, they will include that information in the beach-closure announcement.
Most activities OK
Fecal bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, rashes and other illnesses, especially in children and elderly persons.
Where a water contact advisory has been announced, people should avoid wading in nearby creeks or in discolored water, and stay clear of runoff into the ocean.
But other activities are fine.
That’s not the case when an entire beach closure is announced.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife closes some beaches for a few weeks every year to protect birds or other wildlife when they are breeding or otherwise vulnerable.
Other closures
Beaches also can be closed by other agencies in the event of a sewage spill or other hazardous event.
Yet another kind of closure is a shellfish-harvesting closure. The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Division monitors shellfish for the presence of natural or artificial toxins, and it closes areas to harvesting when they are found.
If you’re planning a trip to the beach, you can learn about closures in advance by visiting the Web sites below.
Another good way to find out about closures is to call the Oregon State Park closest to the beach you want to visit. Sunset Bay State Park has information for all the beaches on the South Coast.
By Gail Elber
Beach Monitoring Program – http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/beaches/
Food Safety Program – http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/index.shtml
Sunset Bay State Park: 541-888-3778
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