4 Los Angeles County beaches remain under high bacteria warning level despite bacteria-free advisories
(U-T San Diego)
A study released by UCLA scientists on Saturday shows the state’s beaches remain under high bacterial levels despite bacterial-free advisories issued over the past two years.
The study, which was published in the journal Environmental Microbiology and Immunology, examined the levels of bacteria and other organisms on beaches in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.
It found that bacterial levels were higher on beaches in San Diego county than in the rest of the state.
Bacteria levels reported at the beach exceeded the standard level of bacteria commonly found at recreational ocean sites. More
In addition, the researchers collected bacteria at the time of and after advisories were declared by the California Department of Health Services.
It found that bacterial levels decreased when beaches were declared free of bacteria.
“Even in a very small coastal area, there are many different organisms that live on a daily basis,” said Dr. Susan Houghton, a senior author of the study. “Some of these could be of concern to beach users.” . More
“Even if these beaches are declared free of bacteria, bacteria could still be present on debris or in the beach sand. So we were surprised that we saw a difference between the two.”
When the researchers looked at bacteria levels in California for other cities, they saw even higher differences in bacteria levels. The study found that beaches in San Diego County were 1,200 percent more likely than the rest of California to have bacteria levels above the bacterial level deemed safe. More
The study found much of the difference between beaches had to do with the type of bacteria. The researchers also found evidence that bacteria had spread from one beach to another since the start of advisories.
“What we’re seeing is that there’s a greater spread of bacteria across the state because so many different habitats are affected,” said Dr. Houghton. “We’re seeing the same kind of differences in bacteria levels across the state.”
The study suggests that bacteria