The County of San Luis Obispo Environmental Health Services provides water quality information through the routine monitoring of coastal marine waters for bacterial contamination.
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA OCEAN WATER QUALITY BACTERIAL STANDARDS
The density of bacteria in water from each sampling station at a public beach for a single sample shall not exceed:
Total coliform bacteria: 10,000 per 100 milliliters
Total coliform bacteria: 1,000 per 100 milliliters if the ratio of fecal/total coliform bacteria exceeds 0.1
Fecal coliform bacteria: 400 per 100 milliliters
Enterococcus bacteria: 104 per 100 milliliters
Average Samples
The density of bacteria from each sampling station at a public beach based on the mean of the logarithms of the results of at least five weekly samples during any 30-day sampling period shall not exceed:
1. Total coliform bacteria: 1,000 per 100 milliliters.
2. Fecal coliform bacteria: 200 per 100 milliliters.
3. Enterococcus bacteria: 35 per 100 milliliters.
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Hundreds of different coliform bacteria are produced by plants and animals. Most are not harmful to people. Though, they are not considered disease-causing agents, their presence above certain numeric levels is suggestive of the presence of other pathogenic microorganisms that are difficult to detect and can cause ill health. Thus, the testing for coliform, fecal coliform and enterococcus can be used as indicators of pollution.
Visit the SLO County Beach Status website page for information on the safety of San Luis Obispo County's beaches.
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