For those of you who missed our community forum of the Cowell Beach Working Group, several updates were presented. Extensive testing last year revealed that high bacteria counts do not extend far from the pier, and studies to determine sources along the wharf (looking for caffeine) do not suggest that the bacteria pollution is human related.
The Santa Cruz Surfrider Chapter is a member of the Working Group, along with Save the Waves, the Coastal Watershed Council, the Sierra Club and the City and County of Santa Cruz. The Chapter has been monitoring this beach through their weekly Blue Water Task Force water testing program, and supported the Working Group's efforts this past year by extending their testing into the surf zone to map out the extent of the bacteria problem near the wharf and along the beach.
Recommendations for the City of Santa Cruz to consider
- Put in screening to reduce gull and pigeon roosting under the wharf.
- Continue to inspect and fix sewer laterals to eliminate human sources of bacteria.
- Monitor groundwater in surrounding area
- Increase police presence for night time and early mornign patrols on beach.
Read full right up from Surfrider HQ's blog. Check out Save the Waves clean cowells campaign site.
