Ocean, not beach, is focus of regular bacteria testing

Question: When there’s a sewage spill or big storm or something that sends bad stuff into the ocean, what about the beach itself? The health officials say to stay out of the water, but what about the sand? Wouldn’t it be contaminated too, as the waves wash ashore? Are we advised to stay off the sand too?

Answer: It depends on the incident. “Our health advisories about high bacterial levels in water samples taken during routine monitoring and testing under the BEACH Act cover only the ocean and not the beach itself. If a known sewage spill occurred that flowed directly onto land or beach areas, the Department of Health would post warning signs or have the responsible party post signs in the affected areas,” said Janice Okubo, a spokeswoman for the department.

The DOH’s Clean Water Branch monitors coastal waters under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, a federal law that sets national standards for the testing of recreational waters for bacteria such as enterococci, which can indicate fecal contamination.

“Routine water sampling under the BEACH Act follows the Environmental Protection Agency’s indicator system,” Okubo explained. “EPA specifically developed their indicator system to address swimming in waters contaminated by sewage, and the risk of illness that they originally tried to reduce was gastrointestinal illnesses, which is caused by ingesting contaminated water or contaminated ‘things.’ There are no national standards for testing sand for bacteria.”

The Clean Water Branch posts advisories at 808ne.ws/waterupdates, where you also can learn more about why entering polluted waters is generally considered more risky than being on the beach in the same area. For example:

>> The risk of contracting a gastrointestinal or respiratory illness from contaminated waters is highest for people who swallow a lot of the water, namely children. There’s also an elevated risk for people who put their heads underwater, because contaminants may enter through their mouths, nose and ears.

>> Sewage spills and other contamination may attract sharks, which are considered a bigger threat to humans in murky water (such as during storm runoff) because people may be mistaken for seals or turtles.

Okubo said that the Clean Water Branch has adopted the EPA-recommended threshold value, called the Beach Action Value or BAV, of 130 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water sample. The illness rate associated with the BAV has been determined to be 36 illnesses per 1,000 swimmers or waders. “Enterococci levels greater than 130/100 mL indicate that there may be an increased probability of risk of illness due to pathogens that cause gastrointestinal illness in swimmers and waders of the affected beach,” she said. “It does not necessarily mean that you will become ill, but there is an increased probability.”

There is a large margin of safety built into the BAV, she said. However, the risk of becoming ill is never zero, even if enterococci levels in the water are below the BAV.

“The natural environment is unpredictable and basic precautions are always advised. The public is reminded to cover open wounds, keep them clean and free from beach water and sand, and wash off after entering the water,” Okubo said.

The highest levels of bacteria are typically found at the mouths of streams or where storm drains flow across a beach. Avoid those areas.

Mahalo

A big mahalo to the family who helped me as I cleaned my parents’ graves on Sunday at Hawaiian Memorial Park. The help with the grass and the filling of the vases is much appreciated. — Mahalo, Paul

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.