6A • July 27, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Getting to the source of the
WATER WOES
Cannon Beach revives
water testing after high
bacteria readings
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
After high bacteria readings at Cannon Beach
outfalls, the city has revived a water testing pro-
gram in search of a solution.
In late June, routine sampling conducted
through the Oregon Beach Monitoring Program
found readings at two freshwater outfalls exceed-
ed the state’s recreational water standard of 130
mpn, or most probable number, a testing method
used to estimate the number of colony forming
units of bacteria.
The Chisana Creek outfall at Tolovana State
Park registered at 465 mpn, more than three
times what is considered safe by the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency. The Ecola Court
outfall pipe hit 134 mpn. Ingesting bacteria con-
taminated water can result in illness.
Bacteria levels appear to have steadied for
now. But questions persist about why, after al-
most a decade, Cannon Beach continues to see
higher levels of bacteria at several beach outfalls.
According to the Surfrider Foundation, which
has tested outfalls around Cannon Beach for 10
years, 25 to 50 percent of readings have exceed-
ed state standards, depending on the year. There
have been four high readings registered since
2016 with the Oregon Beach Monitoring Pro-
gram.
Cannon Beach is consistently one of the five
beaches on the Oregon Coast that causes the or-
ganization the most concern with regard to bac-
teria levels, Charlie Plybon, Surfrider’s Oregon
Policy Manager, said.
So what is the source, and why is it difficult
to identify it?
The problem
Sources of contamination to surface waters
include wastewater treatment plants, septic sys-
tems, storm runoff, and domestic and wild animal
manure, according to the EPA.
For almost a decade, the city ran a variety
of tests to try to identify anything within the in-
frastructure that could be the source. The steps
included weekly water sampling, using optical
BRENNA VISSER
BRENNA VISSER
Assistant Public Works Director Trevor Mount collects water samples at the Chisana Creek
outfall at Tolovana State Park.
Assistant Public Works Director Trevor
Mount pours a water sample into a vial.
brighteners to look for human causes of pollu-
tion like household detergents and cleansers, and
conducting smoke tests. The monitoring sought
to find out whether human fecal matter was mak-
ing it to the beach. The program ended in 2015
after former Public Works Director Dan Grassick
deemed issues were unrelated to the wastewater
system.
Historically, the city has also considered oth-
er sources, such as wildlife, as a possible culprit.
Two DNA-tested samples were inconclusive,
but pointed to some animal contamination. This
could be waste left by seagulls on someone’s roof
or feces left by an elk near a stream getting fil-
tered down through the city’s water channels.
“I think it’s normal activity. Dogs or elk or
what have you are going to do what they are go-
ing to do,” City Manager Bruce St. Denis said.
“It washes into a gully where it concentrates, and
then when it rains it all comes out one outfall.”
While the source remains unclear, St. Denis
said recent smoke testing did not indicate issues
within the wastewater system.
“If the contaminants were coming from the
city’s wastewater system, the readings would be
St. Denis said projects listed in the master
plan are long-term issues, and to his knowledge
are not directly contributing to bacteria spikes.
elevated on a continuous basis,” St. Denis said.
“They are not.”
But Plybon argues that given how frequent
high bacteria readings have been historically, it
is unlikely Cannon Beach’s aging infrastructure
plays no role.
Plybon cited multiple infrastructure issues
listed in the city’s wastewater master plan, which
was adopted earlier this year and outlines projects
that need to be addressed over 20 years. When it
was adopted, the Ecola Creek Watershed Council
requested the city prioritize repairs near the Chis-
ana Creek and Gower Street outfalls.
Plybon said he applauds the city for doing a
wastewater review, which Surfrider has asked the
city to do for years. But without first addressing
infrastructure issues, the city can’t rule out the
possibility high bacteria could be related.
“Maybe not all of these things will contrib-
ute to the issue, but in my opinion it’s likely a
cause,” Plybon said. “Because it’s been a cause
in every community we’ve been to with these
issues. These are common issues, having aging
infrastructure on the coast — and it contributes to
bacteria problems.”
Without a pattern
Part of the difficulty in narrowing down a
source for the bacteria is the fact high readings
don’t appear to have a pattern, St. Denis said.
Spikes are often seen after heavy rains or at the
height of tourism season, but high readings have
been recorded during all times of the year and in
different weather.
That is why the city decided to reinstate the
water testing program, only this time to schedule
samples on the day before and after heavy rains
to see if there is a pattern.
The city will also start testing on the east
side of U.S. Highway 101 — farther than previ-
ous tests have gone — to see if any bacteria is
originating from wildlife in the hills. There are
also plans to do more extensive DNA testing, St.
Denis said, but the city is searching for a lab to
analyze samples since Oregon State University
no longer offers the service.
“We’re just looking for clues,” he said.
City Council considers changes to short-term rental rules
Rental process
confusion
prompts review
‘WHEN IT’S UNLIMITED, YOU’RE BASICALLY
RUNNING A MOTEL IN A RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD. IT VIOLATES THE
CHARACTER OF THE COMMUNITY.’
By Brenna Visser
Cannon Beach Gazette
Cannon Beach wants to cut
the confusion over short-term
rentals by reviewing the per-
mit structure.
In a work session Tuesday,
July 10, city councilors began
re-evaluating the town’s short-
term rental ordinance, which
regulates where vacation rent-
als can operate, how often
houses can be rented, off-street
parking and safety inspections.
Substantive changes pro-
posed include possibly ad-
justing the 14-day rule, which
limits property owners to one
renter in a single 14-day pe-
riod, and ending, through at-
trition, a lottery system that
allows some vacation home-
owners the chance at a five-
year, unlimited rental permit.
The council is following up
on a promise made last year to
take a deeper dive into short-
term regulations in pursuit of
making a clearer ordinance.
Most issues lie in vacation
rental owners not fully under-
standing the 14-day rule, City
City Councilor Mike Benefield
BRENNA VISSER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Vacation rental owners and management companies may
need to make changes.
Planner Mark Barnes said.
Many have issues tracking ex-
actly when a period stops and
starts, leading to more viola-
tions.
Instead, Barnes suggested
changing it to allow a home-
owner to rent to two parties
anytime within the month.
This would simplify enforce-
ment for rental owners who
are not professionally man-
aged — the group of people
who tend to see more viola-
tions, Barnes said.
Half of all short-term rent-
als fall in the 14-day permit
category.
“I think it would generate
fewer violations,” Barnes said.
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“Sure, some are willfully not
understanding the rules, but I
think it’s mostly confusion.”
The vacation rental man-
agement industry has claimed
the current rule prohibits them
from effectively renting their
properties in the off-season
when business is most needed.
Often one family will want
to rent a house around Christ-
mas and another will want to
rent around New Year’s Eve,
but because the two holidays
fall within the same 14 days,
the home can only be rented
once.
This change would allevi-
ate this issue.
“In the winter, we’re hap-
py to get any business,” Linda
Beck-Sweeney, owner of Can-
non Beach Vacation Rentals,
said at the meeting. “It affects
the shoulder months.”
There is the possibility the
change could lead to more oc-
cupancy in a vacation home,
depending on whether a renter
checked in at the beginning or
the end of the month. A re-ed-
ucation effort would need to
take place, Barnes said, and
companies would have to
change their management soft-
ware to the current rules.
Overall, the City Council
saw the change as mostly pos-
itive.
“I’d rather have a system
that’s easier to understand,”
City Councilor Mike Bene-
field said.
Unlimited permits
Councilors also discussed
slowly eliminating the lottery
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“When it’s unlimited,
you’re basically running a
motel in a residential neigh-
borhood,” Benefield said. “It
violates the character of the
community.”
City Councilor George
Vetter disagreed, arguing
that taking any permits out of
the short-term rental system
will just drive rentals under-
ground.
“I see these 92 rentals as
a release valve for the com-
munity,” Vetter said. “The de-
mand is too great. They’ll do
it anyway, permit or not.”
The council plans to dis-
cuss the ordinance again in
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These permits are capped
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Both Benefield and City
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or needed.
Both argued being able to
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