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.
From Memorial Day through Labor Day in 2020, we sampled 63 public high-use beaches statewide, either weekly or biweekly, for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria. High enterococcus levels are linked to swimmer illness.
Jefferson County saltwater swimming beaches
We monitored four beaches in Jefferson County weekly from June 1 – Aug. 31, 2020.
Find details about each of the Jefferson County beaches below:
During the 2020 monitoring season, Mystery Bay State Park beach was sampled seven times. This beach had very good water quality and met the safe swimming standards for all sampling events.
Port Townsend Marine Science Center staff and volunteers sampled this beach 14 times during the 2020 season. This beach had very good water quality and met the safe swimming standards for all sampling events.
During the 2020 swim season, Herb Beck Marina was sampled 14 times. This beach had very good water quality and met the safe swimming standards for all sampling events.
During the 2020 swim season, Oak Bay County Park beach had one sampling event that exceeded the safe swimming standard. On June 10, results were in the advisory range, but subsequent samples showed bacteria levels dropped into the safe swimming range. This beach was sampled 15 times and met the swimming standard for all other periods sampled.
Data summary: Bacteria results compared to standards
The chart below summarizes the bacteria levels at Jefferson 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 30 and the statistical threshold value of enterococcus/100 mL is greater than or equal to 110. We issue a public swimming advisory when enterococcus levels exceed 104 per 100 mL of water.
Table: Calculated geometric mean and statistical threshold value at Jefferson County beaches
(in enterococcus per 100 mL) for 2020.
|
Beach
|
GM
|
STV
|
|
Mystery Bay State Park
|
15
|
41
|
|
Fort Worden State Park
|
12
|
24
|
|
Herb Beck Marina
|
26
|
26
|
|
Oak Bay County Park
|
18
|
178
|