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Last
year, the County of Marin, Environmental Health Services
began a shoreline water quality monitoring program
associated with the Environmental Protection Agency's
National Beach Guidance and Performance Criteria
for Recreational Waters. This year, Heal the Bay
graded 28 of 37 bayside (Tomales, San Francisco,
and San Pablo Bay) and oceanside monitoring locations
covered by
Marin County's water quality monitoring program. The oceanside locations include:
Dillon Beach, McClures Beach, Kehoe Beach, Drakes Beach, Limantour Beach, Bolinas
Beach (Wharf Road), Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, Rodeo Beach, and Baker Beach.
These locations are monitored on a weekly basis from April through October. During
the winter season there was limited monitoring or no monitoring at all. For additional
water quality information visit the Marin
County Department
of Environmental
Health website.
Overall,
dry weather water quality at most beaches in Marin
County was excellent. Of the 28 water quality monitoring
locations covered by the Beach Report Card, 25 (90%) received good-to-excellent
water quality marks, with 24 locations receiving As. Popular beach locations
like Rodeo, Stinson, Limantour, and portions of Muir (central and south) all
received excellent water quality marks.
There
were 3 locations that received fair-to-poor dry weather
water quality grades in Marin County. These locations
were Chicken Ranch Beach at the Channel (C), Muir Beach-north (F), and Baker
Beach-Horseshoe Cove northeast (C). Muir Beach-north failed because 31% of
the
samples collected throughout the summer months violated at least one beach
bathing water standard.
Sewage
Spill Summary
There were zero (0) reported sewage spills in Marin
County that led to beach closures.
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