Beach Advisories in Oregon
This page covers when beach advisories are made and signs to look for when you visit a monitored beach.
Beach Action Value (BAV)
The BAV is the marine recreational water quality standard used to determine if bacteria levels in the water could make people sick. When a marine water sample has bacteria levels at or above the BAV, a health advisory is issued. Once an advisory is issued, people are asked to avoid water contact until the advisory is lifted.
In 2017, the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) adopted a new BAV for bacteria, 130 MPN. MPN stands for
most probable number. MPN is a testing method used to estimate the number of colony forming units (of bacteria) in a 100 milliliter sample of water. The adoption of the current BAV was recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the
2014 National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants.
Advisory Signage
Active Advisory
When test results show that bacteria levels are at or above the BAV, an advisory will be issued.
Look for a blue, diamond-shaped health advisory sign that is fully open.
No Advisory
When test results indicate that bacteria levels are below the BAV, the advisory will be lifted.
Look for a blue, triangle-shaped sign.