Beach Closures

Stay out of the ocean. Keep away from storm drains. Don’t eat shellfish. And do not swim or surf at 19 locations.

Welcome to winter in Ventura County, where bacteria-laden storm runoff has made a weekend trip to a local beach hazardous to your health.

Downpours this week have flushed chemicals, trash and oil from city streets and farms to the Pacific. Much of the runoff is rife with bacteria from wastes produced by sources ranging from horses to homeless people to sewer leaks.

To avoid getting sick, the Ventura County Environmental Health Department urges people to keep clear of beaches and ocean water for 72 hours after more than one-fifth of an inch of rain has fallen.

Beaches posted with pollution warning signs include Rincon Beach, near the creek mouth, the flagpole and at the end of the dirt path; Oil Piers Beach; McGrath State beach, one-half mile north of Gonzales Road, at the end of Gonzales Road, and south of McGrath Lake; Mandalay County Park, south of the drain at the end of 5th Street, south of the drain at the end of Channel Way and south of the drain at the end of Outrigger Way; Oxnard Shores, south of the drain at the end of Amalfi Way; Oxnard State Beach, south of the drain at the end of Falkirk Avenue; Oxnard State Beach, south of the drain at the end of Starfish Drive; Hollywood Beach, south of the drain at the end of La Crescenta Street; Hollywood Beach, south of the drain at the end of Los Robles Street; Surfers Point near the stables; Peninsula Beach; Hobie Beach; and Channel Islands Harbor Beach Park.

Swimmers, waders and surfers should keep at least 50 yards from each side of the signs to avoid bacteria in ocean water, officials advise. Weekly beach testing occurs at 53 locations in Ventura County, and results can be obtained by calling the county ocean water quality hotline at 662-6555 or visiting the Web site at www.ventura.org/env_hlth/ocean.htm.