The Makah Tribe sampled five beaches in Clallam County year-round for their BEACH Program.
As part of the Washington BEACH Program, Clallam County sampled three beaches weekly for bacteria levels from May 22 through Sept. 1, 2017. The sampled beaches in 2017 were:
- Cline Spit County Park beach
- Hollywood Beach
- Salt Creek Recreation Area beach
More details on each beach are below.
Keeping beaches safe
The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication & Health (BEACH) Program ensures that marine water is safe to swim and play in and informs the public if water doesn't meet swimming standards.
During the 2017 beach season, 62 public beaches on coastlines were sampled from Memorial Day through Labor Day. High-use beaches were sampled weekly or biweekly for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria. High enterococcus levels are linked to swimmer illness.
Clallam County saltwater swimming beaches
Eight beaches in Clallam County were sampled in 2017. The Makah Tribe sampled five of these beaches year-round for their BEACH Program.
Makah Tribe BEACH program
During 2017, the Makah Tribe sampled five beaches year-round:
- Dakwas Park Beach, Neah Bay
- Front Street Beach, East
- Hobuck Beach
- Sooes Beach
- Third Beach, Neah Bay
You can view monitoring results for the Makah Tribe beaches through the Coastal Atlas BEACH data portal. In the dropdown menu, under Select a Location - County, choose "Clallam."
Washington state BEACH program
As part of the Washington state BEACH program, Clallam County sampled three beaches weekly from May 22 through Sept.1, 2017. Details on each of the beaches Clallam County sampled are presented in the text below.
Cline Spit County Park beach
During the 2017 monitoring period, Cline Spit County Park beach had excellent water quality. This beach was sampled 15 times during the monitoring season. All sampling events had bacteria levels in the safe swimming range.
Hollywood beach
During the 2017 swim season, Hollywood beach had very good water quality. This beach was sampled 15 times during the monitoring season. All sampling events had bacteria levels in the safe swimming range.
Salt Creek Recreation Area beach
During the 2017 swim season, this beach had good water quality. This beach was sampled 16 times during the monitoring season. On July 24, this beach had sampling results in the closure range, but subsequent sampling showed that bacteria levels had dropped into the safe swimming range.
Data summary: Bacteria results compared to standards
The chart below summarizes the bacteria levels in Clallam County beaches in relation to the EPA swimming standard or saltwater swimming criteria. Beaches are considered unsafe for swimming when the geometric mean of enterococcus/100 mL of water is greater than or equal to 35 and the statistical threshold value of enterococcus/100 mL is greater than or equal to 276. We issue a public swimming advisory when enterococcus levels reach 104 per 100 mL of water.
Table: Calculated geometric mean and statistical threshold value at Clallam County beaches
(in enterococcus per 100 mL) for 2017
| Beach |
Geometric Mean |
Statistical Threshold Value |
| Cline Spit County Park Beach |
10 |
14 |
| Hollywood Beach |
14 |
38 |
| Salt Creek Recreation Area Beach |
14 |
46 |