At Pismo Creek, test results show bacteria levels have been consistently high for the past six months, but no one knows why.
Every Thursday, Stanley Rice tests the bacteria levels in three Pismo Beach locations for the Surfrider Foundation.
One location is Pismo Creek. Rice, who holds a doctorate in biology, said this area has had high bacteria levels ever since he started sampling seven years ago.
According to Surfrider, only 10% of the samples taken in the last year had safe levels of bacteria. Rice said heavy rain usually helps, but that’s not the case this week.
“When the creek breaks through, when the lagoon breaks through the berm and flows into the ocean, that takes the level down in the creek here,” Rice said.
Luis Campusano is a frequent beachgoer in the area.
“It used to go to the left and then come back to the ocean,” Campusano said. “But now, since the rain or the washout, now it's coming to the right.”
The creek hasn’t connected with the ocean yet this year, instead doubling back onto the beach. Meaning the water and the bacteria won’t be getting washed out just yet.
Campusano said he avoids the creek water altogether.
“I would never recommend it,” he said. “You know, it just seems like somewhat stagnant water.”
But Rice said he sees people in it at times, unaware of the potential health risks. The bacteria he tests for live in the human gut and can cause infections.
He said that as volunteers, Surfrider can’t find out where the bacteria is coming from. They’d need to check for leakages or other potential issues on private properties near the creek.
“We have no authority to do that,” Rice said. “But you have to locate the sites where the pollution is originating and then try and deal with those and then you wait for the system to get better.”
Rice said they need help from the city to find the cause.
In a statement, the city manager Jorge Garcia said, “The City of Pismo Beach takes environmental matters very seriously and are committed to working with County Health and others to address this very important issue.”
