Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2015)
6A • November 6, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com New water health standards could lead to more advisories Beach safety threshold to be cut by more than half By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette The Oregon Beach Moni- toring Program will likely is- sue more public health advi- sories for beachgoers starting in 2017. Not because bacteria levels are expected to rise, but because the safety thresh- old for marine water is being lowered. The program’s safety threshold, or “beach action value,” is being lowered to 70 organisms per 100 milliliters of water. The current thresh- old is 158 organisms per 100 milliliters. The new standards reÀect recent studies that found peo- ple are getting sick at beach action values lower than the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency safety threshold for bacteria, Tara Chetock, the beach monitoring pro- gram coordinator, said. Representatives from the beach monitoring program, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authori- ty made the last of its coast- al stops, including Cannon Beach on Oct. 22, in a series of informational meetings. A matter of public safety The beach monitoring pro- gram tracks Oregon beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day and issues public health advisories on its website and inserts beach warning signs when bacteria readings are high. People who ingest water with high bacteria levels may experience gastrointestinal or Àu-like symptoms, according to the EPA. An Oregon State University study found that 40 percent of 500 surfers sur- veyed from the Paci¿c North- west reported ear infections or discharge at some point during sur¿ng, 0 percent a sore throat or cough, 16 per- cent diarrhea, 10 percent a fever and 7 percent vomiting. The monitoring program works with the Surfrider Foundation on providing swimmers and surfers with the opportunity to report wa- ter contact-related illnesses. This year, the program issued four health advisories along the Oregon Coast, in- cluding one in Cannon Beach. ,n 2014, there were 1. ,n the last ¿ve years, Chetock said there have been 18 advisories along the North Coast alone. DANI PALMER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Hannah Moore with the Oregon Beach Monitoring Pro- gram looks out over the ocean after testing water at the Gower Street outfall in Cannon Beach during this sum- mer’s season. That number would have Mumped to 4 if the new stan- dards had been applied. From 2010 to 2015, the monitoring program conduct- ed ,464 samplings along the Oregon Coast, 88 of which exceeded the current guide- lines. That number would rise to 206 if the new guidelines were used. Program staff anticipate an increase in advisories in 2017, which could place a strain on their limited funds if they have a bad year like 2014. More demand on staff could mean fewer beaches monitored. Currently, the program monitors 16 of Or- egon’s more than 90 beaches during its summer season. Chetock said they plan to use historical data and public in- put to decide which sites to sample in 2017. Limited funding Ryan Cruse, Blue Water Task Force ¿eld coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation, attended Newport’s informa- tional meeting. According to Cruse, Surfrider is working at the national level to ensure continued funding for the Beach Act, which provides funding for the monitoring program. “Our ultimate goal here in Oregon is to help se- cure additional state funding for the monitoring program, so that they’ll have the capac- ity to expand the great work they are currently doing,” he said. Chetock said partnerships with local communities, such as Cannon Beach, could help ¿ll gaps. The Blue Water Task Force tests beaches from Seaside to Port Orford. Cruse R OBER T C AIN LD , said they’ll “continue to mon- itor with the same frequency when the new BAV takes place” and added “it would be great if the state utilized our monitoring program results.” The task force uses the same EPA testing method the monitoring program does. Volunteers and six labs would “easily ¿ll any gaps” created by the new guidelines and funding constraints, he said. Finding the source In addition to the possi- ble decrease in testing sites, residents and environmen- tal groups like Surfrider ex- pressed concern about public noti¿cation of high readings and freshwater results. The monitoring program tests freshwater runoff, but unlike saltwater, will not issue an advisory if high levels of contamination are detected. This could put beachgoers at risk, particularly at the Gow- er Street outfall in Cannon Beach, Cruse said. Although they are limit- ed in actions they can take, Chetock noted that program staff do test freshwater run- off so they may identify the source of contamination. The program isn’t able to lead investigations into the cause of high readings, but it can provide data, technical support and guidance if a city chooses to address the issue. Staff are ¿nalizing this year’s monitoring data and search- ing for trends. In its blog about the bac- teria action level change, Surfrider acknowledged the program’s limited authority and encouraged residents to ask the Department of Envi- ronmental Quality to investi- gate an advisory system for contaminated freshwater. Some, like Oregon’s state parks, have taken steps to rec- tify problems. “There are other commu- nities that just don’t want to acknowledge it because of the tourism aspect,” Chetock said. “They don’t want to scare people off beaches because they want the busi- ness.” But solutions need to be found because noti¿cation alone is “not working right now.” The next step Now that the monitoring program’s public meetings are done for the time being, Chetock said they will review comments and reach out to coastal areas in the next cou- ple of months for discussions. The Department of Envi- ronmental Quality is also de- veloping rules to revise Ore- gon’s water quality standards for bacteria. Aron Borok with department’s water quality di- vision said the state will hold hearings early next year to re- view proposed revisions. Locally, the Surfrider Foundation and Ecola Creek Watershed Council have of- fered Cannon Beach of¿cials assistance in notifying the public faster of high bacteria readings, and in reviewing the city’s wastewater and sewer infrastructure to ¿nd a solu- tion to the issue. R.J. MARX PHOTO/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Fir Street Bridge is expected to fail during an earth- quake or tsunami. Grassick: New pedestrian bridge would have high chance of surviving quake According to an Or- egon State University Grassick said the pe- study, there is a 40 percent destrian bridge is more re- chance for a major Cas- alistic cost-wise. A traf¿c cadia Subduction Zone bridge would cost between earthquake off the Ore- gon coast in $5 and $6 mil- the next 50 lion, and there isn’t as much Public Works years. It is es- timated that assistance Director Dan at least 1,080 available for its type. people would Grassick A new head toward said the Fir pedestrian the Fir Street Street bridge bridge on a bridge would have a 95 per- typical sum- is ‘woefully cent chance day in inadequate.’ mer of surviving the case of an a quake, he earthquake. added. “ O u r In 1964, a 9.2 magni- number one priority is to tude earthquake in Alas- save lives,” Emergency ka caused a tsunami that Preparedness Committee wiped out the Fir Street Chair Karolyn Adamson bridge. Nine were killed in wrote in a letter to the Alaska during the quake, council. “I believe this but no deaths were report- proposal will do that.” ed in Oregon, according to The council voted 4-1 the West Coast and Alaska to seek the Connect Or- Tsunami Warning Center. egon grant. Councilors A distant tsunami typ- Vetter, Mike Bene¿eld, ically provides hours of Melissa Cadwallader and warning. In the case of a Wendy Higgins voted yes. local tsunami off the Ore- Steidel was the lone no. gon coast, the public would Grant applications are have about 20 minutes to due Nov. 20 and will be evacuate. awarded next year. Bridge from Page 1A BUSINESS DIRECTORY C ONSTRUCTION C ONSTRUCTION B OB M C E W AN C ONSTRUCTION , INC . E XCAVATION • U NDERGROUND U TIITIES R OAD W ORK • F ILL M ATERIAL S ITE P REPARATION • R OCK OWNED AND OPERATED BY “Helping shape the character of Cannon Beach since 1973” M IKE AND C ELINE M C E WAN Residential • Commercial • Remodeling New Construction • Storm Damage Repair Full Service Custom Cabinet Shop 503-738-3569 34154 H WY 26, S EASIDE , OR P.O. B OX 2845, G EARHART , OR 503.436.2235 S ERVING THE P ACIFIC N ORTHWEST S INCE 1956 • CC48302 www.coasterconstruction.com • CCB# 150126 H EATING & C OOLING L ANDSCAPING 45 Y ea rs o f E xp erien ce Residen tial & C om m ercial arcadia organic landscaping & design G as, O il & E lectric Fu rnaces D u ctless System s • Fireplaces W ater H eaters • H eat P u m ps & A C C om m ercial R efrigeration FR EE C ON S ULTATION • Den tu res fo r a ll a ges , New , Pa rtia ls a n d Cu s to m Den tu res • Den tu res fo r im p la n ts • Relin es & Rep a irs • Den tu re rep a irs d o n e s a m e d a y! • Pers o n a l s ervice a n d a tten tio n to d eta il GARDENER Expert Service, Repairs & In stallation TW O L OCATION S S EAS IDE & HIL L S BORO 740 Ave H • S te 2 • S ea s id e 232 N E L in co ln • S te B • Hills b o ro L icensed & Bonded L ocally O w ned & O perated 503.440.1491 CCB#1992 05 C annon B each, O regon 503-440-6975 coastheating@ gm ail.com arcadialandscaping@hotmail.com lcb 9071 L ANDSCAPING Open W ed n es d a y a n d Frid a y • 9 -4:30 • 503-738 -7710 P AINTING Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix Soil Amendments YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF (no Scotch Broom) S E RV IN G LUN CH & D IN N E R 503-717-1454 34154 HIGHWAY 26 SEASIDE, OR D elightfu l Beer G a rd en • O cea n V iew D eck Pool Ta b les • D a rts Fu ll Ba r ( inclu ding Bill’s Ta vern brew s ) b u t tha t’s n ot a ll... Sm oked Pork Ribs • Stea k • Sea food a nd m u ch, m u ch m ore! Loca ted in SO U TH Ca nnon Bea ch 3301 S. H em lock St. • Tolova n a P a rk 503.436.1 1 30 • M in ors W elcom e Randy Anderson 36 Years Experience Anderson Painting (503) 738-9989 • Cell (503) 440-2411 • Fax (503) 738-9337 PO Box 140 Seaside, Oregon 97138 www.andersonpainting.biz “ Custom Finishing ” O P EN AT 1 1 :30 Tuesd a y’s O p en a t 4p m Licensed • Bonded • Insured CCB# 89453 A DVERTISING ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICE HERE! ONLY $22 PER ISSUE Call Laura Kaim 503-791-6709 lkaim@dailyastorian.com L AWN C ARE