San Diego : Bacteria Cause County to Close Cove

The county Department of Health Services closed a stretch of Mission Bay’s Santa Barbara Cove to swimmers Wednesday, after high bacterial counts showed up in water samples.

Gary Stephany, the department’s director of environmental health services, said routine weekly samples taken Tuesday showed bacterial levels of more than 16,000 coliforms per milliliter. Any count above 1,000 is deemed unsafe for body contact, he said.

The source of the contamination is unknown, but such high levels are generally caused by sewer spills, Stephany said. “Sometimes contractors hit a line when digging, and they just let it drain into the nearest storm drain,” he said.

Santa Barbara Cove is near the intersection of West Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard, on the west side of Mission Bay. Signs warning cove-goers to stay out of the water were posted Wednesday for 600 feet along the southwest corner of the cove.

The signs will stay up until the water is deemed safe for recreational use.

“We will continue to test until we get a clean reading,” Stephany said. “If some sewage got into a storm drain, it may take a couple of days.”

Stephany warned that the closure came after a slight lag time: “We are always 24 hours behind. Someone swimming in there (Tuesday) could have been exposed to something.”