Coastal Blog — Blue Water Task Force
April 12 2013
No $ for Beach Programs in 2014 Federal Budget
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
The President's budget for FY2014 once again fails to include any funding to support beach water testing programs. It is disappointing that the Administration continues to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, ignoring the huge public health costs and potential risk to coastal tourism economies that these cuts will bring.
April 09 2013
Kaua’i BWTF hits education record
Involving local high school and college students in relevant, water pollution, scientific studies is a big part of the Kaua'i Chapter's BWTF program. This past year they mentored a record number of students. Keep reading to see the impressive areas of study they tackled.
April 08 2013
California’s Landmark Law Under Attack
Beach Access Blue Water Task Force Coastal Preservation Know Your H20 Ocean Ecosystems Water Quality
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is one of California’s most important laws—not only because it helps protect our environment and “quality of life”, but CEQA also promotes democratic participation in the decision-making process—giving citizens a say in what happens in their local communities. Unfortunately over the past few years,…
April 08 2013
South Bay Teach and Test
The South Bay Chapter and their Teach and Test program sponsor, the West Basin Municipal Water District, recieved some nice press for their partnership recently.
March 04 2013
Want to Find Sewer Spills and Leaks? Ask a Dog
Blue Water Task Force Source Identification Water Quality
A frequent problem in coastal watersheds is detection of high bacteria counts at beaches. Tracking the sources of the bacteria back up rivers, creeks and storm drains is difficult, time consuming and costly. But there may be a better way - using a trained, sewage-sniffing dog. We wrote about the…
March 01 2013
Pollution Source Tracking Guide
Blue Water Task Force Source Identification Water Quality
The City of Santa Barbara and UCSB have developed 2 new resources to help track the sources of water pollution in coastal watersheds.
February 26 2013
Community Presentation of BWTF Data in Kaua’i
The Kaua'i Chapter continues its good efforts to educate the public about their water testing program and local water quality problems at the Hale Halawai Community Center.
December 11 2012
The Toilet Bowl Effect: Gurgles and Flushes from Pico-Kenter Storm Drain
Blue Water Task Force Youth Rise Above Plastics Water Quality
Students at Santa Monica High School measured high bacteria levels and picked up more than 75 lbs of trash flushed through the Pico-Kenter storm drain by rain events in November. Read the press release they sent out documenting this pollution.
December 10 2012
BWTF data detects sewer overflows at beaches in Newport, Oregon
Blue Water Task Force Partnerships Source Identification Water Quality
Very high bacteria levels detected by the Newport Chapter's BWTF water testing program indicated an ongoing problem with sewer overflows in the area during wet weather. The beaches were posted in the short-term, but the Chapter has been working with the city for nearly 10 years now to address multiple…
December 02 2012
EPA updates recreational water quality criteria
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Illness
The EPA has released its 2012 water quality criteria recommendations for protecting human health in all coastal and non-coastal recreational waters.
October 19 2012
BWTF session at West Coast Summit
Leaders from more than a dozen chapters met during Surfrider's West Coast Summit in Ventura, California to learn more about each others' water testing programs and discuss common challenges and best practices.
October 12 2012
Funding News for Beach Water Testing Programs
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
While Congress has yet to pass a federal budget for next year, they did manage to agree on a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government in operation until March 31, 2013. This CR includes level funding to keep the EPA BEACH Grants program in operation.
August 24 2012
The (r)evolution of the Blue Water Task Force
At the inception of the Blue Water Task Force, Surfrider Chapters were often the only source of water quality information in many localities. As state monitoring programs became more robust, the BWTF began pursuing other goals such as education and pollution identification. With federal funding for beach monitoring programs on…
August 07 2012
Sick at the Beach: The Ocean Illness Reporting Tool
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Illness
Have you ever gotten sick after visiting the beach? Now there’s a place to share your story and see where others are getting sick.
July 17 2012
Beach Water Testing Program in Hawaii Struggling
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
Hawaii's beach water testing program is already struggling to meet beach water testing requirements set by the BEACH Act. Impending federal budget cuts could devastate this program in a state whose economy is largely fueled by beach tourism.
July 16 2012
Kaua’i Blue Water Task Force
Blue Water Task Force Partnerships Solutions Source Identification Youth
The Kaua'i Chapter's Blue Water Task Force water testing program is providing valuable water quality information for surf sites around the island. They are investigating the local sources of water pollution and are trying to instill an ethic of coastal stewardship into the students they are reaching.
July 06 2012
Testing the Waters: NRDC’s 2012 Report
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
The Natural Resources Defense Council has just released their annual Testing the Waters Report for 2012. The number of beach closing and advisory days reported in 2011 was 23,481 days, confirming that our nation's beaches continue to experience significant water pollution that puts swimmers and local economies at risk.
June 11 2012
Help build support for beach water testing programs!
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
Activist Toolkit now available for our Restore Beach Act Funding Campaign. Use this toolkit at your Chapter events and meetings this summer to build community awareness and to appeal to your Senators in DC to support funding for the BEACH Act program.
June 04 2012
The BWTF in Rincón, Puerto Rico
Blue Water Task Force Source Identification Youth
The Rincón Chapter tests 14 marine and freshwater sites in northwestern Puerto Rico on a weekly basis, collecting over 500 water samples in 2011 alone. Learn more about their busy program that is providing vital information on the safety and health of local waters in areas where where there is…
April 13 2012
Danger: Stay out of the Water!
Blue Water Task Force Youth Water Quality
Read this press release by Santa Monica High School students after they measured alarmingly high bacteria levels at their ocean beach BWTF testing sites following heavy rains last week. These students continue to do a great job bringing public attention to local beach pollution problems.
