Oregon's Beach Monitoring Program monitors the waters along Oregon's coastline for the presence of fecal bacteria and reports elevated levels to the public.
The program is administered by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and is implemented in close conjunction with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Monitoring and public notification began in Oregon in 2003.
If test results for a beach are at or above 158 organisms/100 ml marine water, an advisory will be issued immediately and signage posted at the beach in question. The advisory and the sign(s) will remain in place until additional testing indicates that enterococcus levels have decreased to less than 158 organisms/100 ml marine water.
Marine waters are tested for enterococcus, which is an indicator of the presence of other bacteria. Enterococcus has been shown to have a greater correlation in marine waters with swimming-associated illnesses than other bacterial organisms.
What We Do
The Beach Monitoring Program is part of Environmental Public Health in the Center for Health Protection. Search the Public Health Program Directory to see all programs in the Oregon Public Health Division.