You can listen to the latest water quality updates by dialing (831)454-3188 and listening for the menu to find information about fresh water 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 fecal coliform above 400cfu, (colony forming units) per 100mls. of water may contain disease-causing organisms and be hazardous to swimmers.

Results are expressed in colony forming units, (cfu), of fecal coliform 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. Health risk studies for these bacteria indicators show that single-sample levels above 104 cfu for Enterococcus and 10,000 cfu for total coliform bacteria may pose a risk to swimmers. A direct relationship between water-related illness and the levels of fecal coliform and total coliform bacteria exists when the fecal coliform/total coliform ratio exceeds 0.1 and the total coliform level exceeds 1000cfu.

Water Quality Results for sites sampled the week of Aug 27, 2001.

For locations of sites sampled and past monitoring results, please refer to the Ocean Map.

Large flocks of seagulls and other shorebirds can contribute to the increase in fecal bacteria at ocean and fresh water locations. High levels of the bacteria indicators used in these tests are present around flocks of seabirds. Seagulls and other shorebirds can be a reservoir for disease-causing organisms that can be transmitted to humans.

The State of California has issued a quarantine on sport-harvested shellfish that is in effect from May 1 through October 31 each year. Mussels, clams, and oysters are quarantined from May through October of each year because of the possibility of red-tide caused toxins in the shellfish meats. Red-tides are caused by dense populations of single-celled algae. There were several red-tides during the past quarantine period and Santa Cruz County experienced elevated levels of shellfish toxins during that time period.

Location	Fecal coliform	Enterococcus	Total Coliform
Natural Bridges Beach	5	5	5
Cowell Beach @ Stairs	5	5	97
Cowell Beach west of Wharf	10	5	52
Main Beach @ Boardwalk	20	5	84
Main Beach @ San Lorenzo River	52	5	74
Seabright Beach	5	5	134
Twin Lakes Beach	10	5	10
Capitola Beach east of Jetty	31	20	189
New Brighton Beach	10	5	20
Seacliff State Beach	10	5	51
Rio del Mar Beach	52	10	175
Hidden Beach	5	5	5
Manresa Beach	5	5	5
Sunset Beach	5	5	5
Palm/Pajaro Dunes Beach	10	5	30

Trends for Weekly-Sampled Sites (Fecal Coliform Bacteria):