NEWS

Beach health advisories expected to spike in 2017

Henry Miller
Statesman Journal

Expect to see a lot more beach health advisories in Oregon beginning in 2017.

It won’t be because ocean water quality is deteriorating at the coast.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s nationwide standard for fecal bacteria levels in ocean water that triggers advisories to avoid water contact will be changed. The number, known as the beach action value or BAV, is being reduced by more than half.

The current BAV is 156. Beginning in 2017 that drops to a nationwide EPA-mandated 70.

“When we look at historical monitoring data, and we apply the (coming standard) to our results, we’re looking at about 50 percent more (health advisories),” said Tara Chetock, the coordinator for the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program. “Looking to the future, we expect advisories to increase.

“We just don’t know how much, yet, because it will just depend upon so many variables that year including rainfall, wildlife activity, human activity.”

Because of the wide variety of factors involved, the annual number of advisories varies widely and for varying lengths of time, she added.

“The average since 2009 is 17,” Chetock said. “However, we’ve only had four this year, and next week is the final week of sampling.”

Lowering the bacteria level that triggers a health advisory was a recommendation in a 2014 EPA report that cites studies indicating that gastrointestinal illnesses could result from ingesting bacteria in water at less than the current 158 standard.

The Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authority will hold a series of four meetings at the coast during October to talk about both the new BAV standard and also the accompanying revised standards for ocean water recreation.

Questions will be answered and comments taken at each.

“We have a lot of interested stakeholders at the beaches who are residents,” Chetock said. “And so we kind of want to be aware of these changes coming so when there are increased advisories people are not overly concerned that the water quality has changed drastically.”

The standard for beach advisories will apply to all coastal states from the warm waters of the Gulf Coast to the frigid ocean off Alaska.

“So it’s a little bit different because here in Oregon people aren’t submerging themselves in our ocean waters year-round, or for many months a year,” Chetock said. “And so it’s a little more conservative than people around Oregon are used to.

“But again it’s going to be a universal standard that EPA is requiring of everyone.”

hemiller@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6725 or follow on Twitter @henrymillersj or facebook.com/hmillersj

Meetings

Closest to Salem: 4-6 p.m. Oct. 29, EQC-A (10th floor), Department of Environmental Quality headquarters, 811 SW Sixth Ave., Portland

Mid-coast: 6-9 p.m. Oct. 21 in the multiuse room, Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2039 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport

South coast: 6-9 p.m. Oct. 20 at Heritage Hall, Marshfield High School, 10th and Ingersoll streets, Coos Bay

North Coast: 6-9 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Community Hall, Chamber of Commerce, 207 N Spruce St., Cannon Beach