Firm May Study Beach Pollution
Ventura County officials have begun talks with a private consulting firm to find the source of contamination at Oxnard’s Kiddie Beach, officials said Monday.
Channel Islands Harbor Director Lyn Krieger said she expects the board to approve hiring the company later this month. The name of the firm has not been released.
The talks are the latest effort by officials to find the source of pollution at Channel Islands Beach Park, which last month was named the most polluted beach in Southern California by environmental watchdog group Heal the Bay.
More commonly known as Kiddie Beach, the park closed last September because weekly water samples were found to be consistently tainted, according to Richard Hauge, spokesman for the county’s Environmental Health Division.
Though contamination readings began to pop up in 1998, county officials said they were perplexed by high bacteria readings at the popular beach.
Oxnard City Manager Ed Sotelo said the contamination is a concern, but he pointed out that Kiddie Beach is run by the county.
“We are all concerned and we have been talking with the county,” Sotelo said. “If we are able to help, we will.”
Officials said high bacteria levels could cause stomach flu, sinus infections, skin rashes and upper respiratory infections.
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