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Water monitoring at 6 beaches may be restored

By April Charlton/Senior Staff Writer

Recently scrapped water testing and bacteria monitoring at six popular county beaches could be revived in the near future.

As part of the newly approved state budget, the county lost a big chunk of funding — about $26,000 — for its beach water testing program and had to cut six testing sites from the program.

However, a vote earlier this month by the State Water Resources Control Board restored California’s beach water testing program for at least the next two years with a $2 million allocation.

The county expects to receive about $24,000, which amounts to 90 percent of its annual funding share of state money for the ocean water sampling program.

“We knew we were going to lose 10 percent (of the state funding), but the surprise was that we lost it all,” said Curt Batson, county Environmental Health Department director.

Environmental Health also receives federal grant monies — $25,000 — to run the program, which is supplemented by county General Fund monies. Federal funding for the program hasn’t been cut, but it costs more than $50,000 to run it, Batson said.

Because of the recent and drastic cutback in state funding, Batson had to reduce the number of beach sites from 20 to 14 that his staff tests weekly for elevated levels of bacteria, which can cause illness in humans if ingested.

When elevated levels of bacteria exceed state standards during testing, health advisory warnings urging the public to avoid contact with the water are posted at the affected site until levels return to normal.

The six eliminated sites haven’t been tested since earlier this summer.

Theses testing sites were chosen for elimination because “they were the best in the county” and don’t show elevated bacteria levels often, Batson said.

With the newly restored funding, Batson said he hopes to add the eliminated testing sites back into the program.

“(The funding) will result in some if not all of the sites being added back,” Batson said. He won’t know how many sites will be re-added to the testing mix until the state sends the county a new contract. “I still have questions in my mind.”

The State Water Resources Control Board hopes to dole out the $2 million in the next several weeks. The money will come from Proposition 13, which state voters approved in 2000 and provides funding for water-quality improvement projects.

6 sites eliminated

— Pismo State Beach, Oceano, south of Pier Avenue at end of Strand Way

— Pismo State Beach, Oceano, 350 yards north of Pier Avenue

— Hazard Canyon, Montana de Oro State Beach

— Morro Bay City Beach, north of main parking lot

— Morro Strand State Beach at Beachcomber Drive and Luzon Street

— San Simeon State Beach at Pico Avenue, out from stairs

acharlton@timespressrecorder.com