High Bacteria Counts Close Two Stretches of Beach

High bacterial counts discovered in seawater along the coast at Imperial Beach and Silver Strand State Beach in Coronado have prompted health authorities to post signs warning people that those ocean areas are unsafe, officials said Friday.

Some of the measurements indicated fecal bacteria levels as much as 11 times the standard considered safe, said Richard Ramirez, environmental health specialist with the San Diego County Department of Health Services.

The signs, which advise beach-goers to avoid the contaminated surf, will remain until the water is deemed safe for recreational use--which will take at least three days, Ramirez said. Authorities hope the tides will flush out the pollution, he said.

Ramirez described the postings as “routine” and cautionary, adding, “I wouldn’t say this was drastic.”

The origin of the fecal bacteria has not been determined, the official said, but he speculated that the pollution may be related to recent rainstorms. Heavy rains often cause sewage mishaps, Ramirez noted, either by overloading lines, causing breakage or flushing additional contaminants.

Inspectors plan to continue daily water sampling in an effort to monitor the pollution and, if possible, discover its source, Ramirez said.

The decision to post the signs was made Friday, Ramirez said, after routine sampling indicated a high count of bacteria at the two sites. Some fecal contamination counts taken at the two beaches exceeded the safe standard by 5 to 11 times, Ramirez said.

Fecal contamination can cause a wide range of ailments, Ramirez noted, from eye, ear and throat infections to some forms of hepatitis.

“People should stay out of the water,” he concluded.

One affected area includes 200 feet of beach to the north and south of a storm drain at the Palm Avenue lifeguard station in Imperial Beach.

The other zone, farther north, encompasses more than a mile of Silver Strand State Beach, Ramirez said. Lifeguards have posted signs for 300 feet to both the north and south of each of the state beach’s four parking lots, Ramirez said.

Similar warning signs have been posted since the mid-1980s along a 2-mile stretch of beach at Border Field State Park in Imperial Beach, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border. That swath of coast abuts the outlet for polluting flows from the sewage-clogged Tijuana River, which brings raw wastes from Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

Ramirez said it was not known if this latest problem is related to the Tijuana River pollution.