OHA, DEQ announce Oregon beaches to be monitored for bacteria in 2024/2025; Seven Beaches in Tillamook County – Short Sand, Manzanita, Rockaway, Twin Rocks, Oceanside, Cape Kiwanda, Neskowin

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PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) has finalized a list of beaches to be monitored for unsafe levels of bacteria during the 2024 and 2025 monitoring seasons.

The list was created based on established criteria, including high recreational use, nearby pollution hazards, previously measured high bacteria levels, and public input.

OBMP is a joint effort between Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to monitor the waters along Oregon‘s coastline for the presence of fecal bacteria and report elevated levels to the public. Through this program, DEQ regularly samples and tests marine water and freshwater at about 20 beaches along Oregon’s 360 miles of coastline between May and September. To protect public health, OHA issues advisories at beaches where bacteria levels are found to be unsafe.

OHA and DEQ re-evaluate beaches and sampling locations every two years to ensure available resources best protect public health. The proposed list includes some of the most frequently visited beaches in Oregon; beaches where the program has previously found bacteria; and beaches for which local partners and the public have requested monitoring due to pollution concerns.

To view a video about the updated beach monitoring list for 2024/2025, click here.

This year, in addition to the criteria listed above, DEQ used the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) environmental justice screening tool to assess the potential for the OBMP efforts to benefit vulnerable and underserved populations. Based on OBMP’s evaluation criteria, preliminary environmental justice screening and input from public comments, OHA and DEQ selected the following beaches for the 2024/2025 monitoring season:

Clatsop County

Coos County

Curry County

Lane County

Lincoln County

Tillamook County

Note: Beaches marked with an asterisk  refer to those with potential environmental justice communities that may be likely to recreate at the beach.

To add beaches to the sampling list and continue operating within available OBMP resources, DEQ may reduce the number of sampling locations or frequency of sampling at certain beaches. Only sampling locations where historical data show low risk would be removed.

A copy of DEQ’s beach evaluation is available upon request.

For more information about OBMP, visit the program website at http://www.healthoregon.org/beach or call 971-673-0440. People can also call OHA’s toll-free information line, 877-290-6767.