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The County of Sonoma, Environmental Health Division monitored seven locations on a weekly basis from April through October, from as far upcoast as Gualala Regional Park Beach to a downcoast location at Doran Regional Park Beach in Bodega Bay. Samples were collected 25 yards north or south of the mouth of a storm drain or creek. From November through March there was no monitoring conducted.
For additional water quality information visit the Sonoma
County Department of Environmental Health
website.
Summer dry weather water quality conditions at all beaches was very good (five A's and one B), with the exception of Campbell Cove (Figures 7 and 8). Located at the entrance to Bodega Harbor in Bodega Bay, Campbell Cove again received an F grade for the April through October time-period (AB411). Campbell Cove State Park Beach continues to suffer from extremely poor water quality during late summer. During the earlier part of summer (May through early August) water quality was generally very good to excellent; however, the latter portion of summer (late August through October) had extremely poor water quality. Similar late summer water quality degradation has been seen at this location for the past three years. A report entitles "The Bodega Bay- Campbell Cove Tidal Circulation Study, Water Quality Testing, and Source Abatement Measures Project" was recently finalized. Funded by the Clean Beach Initiative program, the report contains a good deal of information, such as a hydrodynamics study (measuring the direction and flow of currents) in the Bodega Harbor area, and a DNA analysis of source organisms potentially causing poor water quality. The hydrodynamics study demonstrated, in short, that the bay/harbor receives a great deal of flushing with the ocean water along the surface. Mixing of harbor and ocean waters varied according to temperatures and tidal cycle. The latter influenced the amount of flushing that occurred. The DNA study concluded that the main contributors of source organisms were from avian (bird) populations and marine mammals.
In conclusion, the report identified the sediment at Campbell Cove State Beach as being a
major source of bacteria densities.
This report can be found on Sonoma County's Environmental Health Department's web site.
Sewage
Spill Summary
There were zero (0) reported sewage spills in Sonoma
County that led to beach closures.
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