Oregon beach monitoring season is now underway

This year’s Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) is now underway, with two-dozen coastal recreation areas being tested for bacteria during summer and early fall.

The 24 beaches on the list of places being tested include some of the most frequently visited beaches in Oregon. It also includes beaches where the program has found bacteria present, or beaches for which local partners and the public have requested monitoring due to potential pollution concerns.

Sites being monitored in Lincoln County include:

• D River Beach – Lincoln City

• Siletz Bay Beach – Lincoln City

• Beverly Beach – Newport

• Agate Beach – Newport

• Nye Beach – Newport

• Ona Beach (Brian Booth-Beaver Creek State Park) – Seal Rock

• Seal Rock Beach – Seal Rock

Beach monitoring season runs from mid-May to mid-September. Beach advisories are only issued for beaches that are actively being monitored within this sampling window. Other beaches will be investigated for inclusion in the next beach monitoring season.

OBMP works with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to identify beaches that need monitoring based on several established criteria. These criteria include: pollution hazards present; previous beach monitoring data that identify water quality concerns; type and amount of beach use; and public input.

As part of an adaptive sampling plan, beaches and sampling locations are routinely re-evaluated to ensure available resources best protect public health. A copy of DEQ’s beach evaluation is available upon request.