Blue Water Task Force Results

The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is the Surfrider Foundation's water quality monitoring, education and advocacy program. We are currently starting a sampling program.

Surfrider Seattle’s Statement Regarding Coliform Testing in the Greater Seattle Area:

Upon review, Surfrider Seattle’s Blue Water Task Force has revised our reporting of the Seattle Blue Water Task Force results.

The Seattle Chapter's Blue Water Task Force scientific methods are sound; however, the method we employ counts all coliform, not “fecal coliform” specifically. We very much regret our error in reporting our results incorrectly, this was a simple mistake and not intentional in any way.

The published coliform counts took into account all possible contributors, which include but are not limited to fecal coliforms. Some coliforms are not harmful to humans; however some are, and the released results are a combination thereof.

Coliform results are a separate indicator from the posted E. Coli results. Please be assured, the E. Coli results are accurate, and upon review no mistake has been made in the counting or reporting. While this can all be confusing, the take-away message to recreational users and residents near these urban streams is that they are not altogether safe to recreate in or to ingest. All people and pets that come in contact with these streams should wash immediately afterward. Fecal coliforms and E. Coli are only some of many pathogens often found in urban streams that can be harmful to humans.

Surfrider Foundation's Seattle Chapter is working with Seattle Public Utilities and DOH and will continue testing these locations to supplement locations where the City has not yet placed testing resources. We will be sending our bi-weekly results to all interested parties from here forward, so when a problem arises we all have corresponding information.

Signage will be developed in cooperation with the parks department, as the current signage is not child-friendly. Surfrider Seattle would also like to point out that as a chapter, we did not approach the media with these test results, though we were very willing to speak about them when contacted. We sent a message to our members warning them of the possible dangers of playing in these streams; this message was transmitted independently by private parties. Surfrider Seattle is a volunteer group working in partnership with the City of Seattle and King County in order to try to make sure the public has clean streams in which to play, we are interested in continuing to test in concert with SPU and King County.

Most Recent Results

To see past results click on the site name and you will see the results for that site.

Date Location Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Mean
08/04/2010 Pontiac
Point*
(Sand Point)		 TC: 517.2
EC: 27.8		 TC: 920.8
EC: 35.9		 TC: 727.0
EC: 34.1		 TC: 721.7
EC: 32.6
08/04/2010 Golden
Gardens*
(Stream)		 TC: 2,419.6
EC: 65.0		 TC: 2,419.6
EC: 49.6		 TC: 2,419.6
EC: 38.9		 TC: 2,419.6
EC: 51.2
08/04/2010 Golden
Gardens
(Sound) #		 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0
08/04/2010 Carkeek
Park*
(Stream)		 TC: NS
EC: NS		 TC: NS
EC: NS		 TC: NS
EC: NS		 TC: NS
EC: NS
08/04/2010 Carkeek
Park
(Sound) #		 Ent: NS Ent: NS Ent: NS Ent: NS
08/04/2010 Discovery
Park #		 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0
08/04/2010 Leschi
Park *		 TC: 1,119.9
EC: 272.3		 TC: 579.4
EC: 15.8		 TC: 686.7
EC: 22.8		 TC: 795.3
EC: 103.6
08/04/2010 Myrtle
Edwards
Park #		 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 0.0
08/04/2010 Me Kwa
Mooks
Park #		 Ent: NS Ent: NS Ent: NS Ent:
08/04/2010 Lowman # Ent: 16.4 Ent: 1.0 Ent: 0.0 Ent: 5.8

So what do the numbers mean, you ask. Following is a list of pertinent information.

BWTF Main Page    BWTF Testing Site Map    BWTF Equipment Photos
Fecal coliform Wikipedia    Enterococcus Wikipedia
2003 - EPA summary of bacterial water standards; Please see page 31 for Washington standards.