Water Testing Comments Submitted

Thu, August 14, 2003

Surfrider has provided the Department of Humans Services with recommendations to strengthen their ocean water quality testing program. In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act. This act mandated all coastal states to adopt nearshore ocean water quality standards, and to develop and implement a nearshore water quality monitoring program. This was not an unfunded mandate. This Act awarded ample grant funds to states to complete the assigned tasks. Surfrider is still concerned about several aspects of the testing program as proposed at the Portland Public Meeting on June 25th, 2003. Surfrider believes that: the proposed program should test water throughout the year, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality should manage the BEACH Act program, the state should incorporate the existing volunteer testing structure to complement the state efforts, The BEACH program should be financially self-sufficient, the state should provide on-site water quality testing results, as well as newspaper and radio notifications, and as part of the BEACH Act, the state should develop a marine water quality standard.

If you'd like to help make Oregon's waters cleaner, please contact your local Surfrider Chapter to find how to become involved.

Click here to view the letter sent by Surfrider to DHS (PDF Format).