MALIBU It’s a good thing it’s been too cold to go swimming in the ocean lately.
A Los Angeles County-funded study to determine the source of high levels of bacteria in Paradise Cove and Escondido Beach kicked off last month, sending researchers out to 27 predetermined locations over the next 10 weeks to draw samples.
The estimated $1 million study began on March 29 in the Ramirez Canyon Creek and Escondido Canyon Creek, both areas that have shown high levels of fecal indicator bacteria.The purpose of the study is to determine whether the source is of human or animal origin.
The investigation will be led by a task force comprised of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, Heal the Bay, the city of Malibu and the County of Los Angeles departments of Public Works and Public Health.
The entire study is expected to last roughly a year and a half. The samples from the first phase will be sent to a Heal the Bay laboratory to determine the source of bacteria.
“Results from the first batch are going to indicate where the latter phase is going,” said County Environmental health Specialist Gevork Kazanchyan.
The initial results are expected to be released at the end of the summer.
About 11 samples will be taken from the Ramirez Canyon and eight samples from the Escondido Canyon.
“While two-thirds of the potential water sampling locations are on privately owned land, they constitute about half of the locations that have current flows and are therefore subject to testing,” according to a release issued by the office of L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
Scientists will be out in the field about once a week, starting in the morning, gathering samples.
“These two particular locations — one being Ramirez Canyon and the other being Escondido Canyon — have historically had high levels of bacteria,” said Eric Edwards, chief environmentalist health specialist with the county.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 12, 2007. Read the original PDF.