The Chapter is monitoring popular ocean beaches where there are known water quality concerns and within the freshwater creeks that discharge onto these beaches. They’ve also set their sampling schedule to compliment the SLO County Health Department’s beach monitoring program. The County samples on Mondays, and the Chapter tests every Thursday. Go to the BWTF website to view a map of the Chapter's sampling sites and their water quality data.
In 2013, the SLO BWTF team developed an illustrated training manual and worked with the County to assure their lab was up to adequate quality control specifications. The manual can be downloaded from SLO’s BWTF Local Info page. Monthly program updates are also posted on the SLO Chapter’s website.
The Chapter has also just started their own watershed study in the San Luis Obispo Creek. Over the last year, 50% of the samples they collected at the mouth of the Creek in Avila Beach exceeded bacteria health standards. The Chapter has added 4 new sites within the last 2.5 miles of the Creek and will sample all Creek sites weekly for a 30-week period from April to October, 2014. The goal of this watershed study is to begin compiling data that will allow the Chapter to determine how far up the creek the high bacteria levels extend and to hopefully zero in on the source or sources of pollution.