Surf Talk Guru

When health advisories are issued for specific beaches, it’s because tests revealed a high level of fecal matter, indicated by a certain number of enterococci(orgs) per 100 milliliters of water. With the off-the-charts test results at Nye Beach recently, I looked up some sources of beach pollution. The most common cause of this pollution, especially in larger cities, is urban runoff, which includes domestic wastes, storm water runoff (storm water washes over rooftops, parking lots, roads and picks up fecal matter from animals), agricultural runoff (discharges from farm animals, overloaded septic systems), sewage overflows, sewage treatment plant malfunctions, and improperly handled boating wastes.

Although we’ve had a lot of rain lately and probably have our fair share of urband and agricultural runoff, Newport also has another problem: the Georgia Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill up the Yaquina River in Toledo. GP’s wastewater permit allows for the primary outfall of the mill to be directed by pipe right to Nye Beach in Newport. Thankfully, nobody surfs at Nye Beach, but those tourists who unknowingly wade or swim in the water there may be subjected to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and fever, ear infections, eye infections, and skin rashes.

Overall, Oregon surfing is safer and less polluted than in almost any other area in the states. On the west coast, only Washington, Alaska, and BC are less polluted.