The Surfrider Foundation is two-thirds of the way through a new study that the organization says will prove that most of the bacteria in Pismo Creek comes from humans.
Stanley Rice has a doctorate in biology and volunteers for the Surfrider Foundation. He says they’ve found above-safe levels of human-specific bacteria in 14 out of the 15 samples they've taken so far for the study.
“We've got eight months' worth of data showing that there's human poop in the water here in Pismo Creek,” Rice said.
Surfrider's testing of this stretch of Pismo Creek last October showed high levels of enterococcus, a bacteria found in mammals' digestive systems. Now the group has narrowed its focus to HF-183, a bacteria found only in humans.
Rice says their research has narrowed down the source to a half-mile stretch of the creek. Their goal with this study is to alert local leaders so they can help find the source of the bacteria.
Ray Zierman was visiting Pismo Beach and said he had no idea the bacteria levels were so high.
“I don't know how hard it's going to be to remedy that problem, but it seems like if the right officials know about it, they would put it on their priority list to take care of," he said.
Rice says it's essential for local leaders and the foundation to work together to find a solution.
"They're the ones that have the authority and the budget to do anything about it," he said. "We're just trying to get their attention.”
Rice says he sent the results to the city, but Assistant City Manager Silas Clarke says they haven’t seen the information.
“The low levels and inconsistent positive detections point to intermittent human presence and do not suggest a sewer leak. Surfrider’s other findings are also consistent with the natural environmental factors, including the presence of birds and other animals,” Clarke said.
He says the city will continue to monitor for E. coli and if an isolated spike is ever found, the city will thoroughly investigate the source.
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