How Sites are Selected for Monitoring

Beach Evaluation Process

The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program works with the Department of Environmental Quality to determine beaches that need monitoring based on several established criteria. These criteria include; pollution hazards present, previous monitoring data and test results, type and amount of beach use and public input.

Reevaluation

As part of an adaptive sampling plan, the program reevaluates beaches and sampling locations every other year to ensure available resources best protect public health.

During the reevaluation process "candidate" sites are considered along with proposed sampling sites for the upcoming monitoring season. Candidate sites are beaches that have never been sampled before, or beaches where only investigative sampling has been done in the past. For candidate beaches, sampling data is either limited or nonexistent. This makes it difficult to determine if a candidate site should be given priority over a proposed site without using other available information. In these cases, staff use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to incorporate maps, information and data about a specific area. This information includes the number and type of wastewater discharge permits in the area, the potential for pollution from runoff, the type of land use in the area and other factors. Staff visit each candidate site to confirm and supplement this GIS data and a draft list of candidate priority monitoring sites is developed. Public comment is then used to determine if a candidate site is monitored in place of one or more proposed sampling sites.

2013 Summer Beach Season Monitoring Summary

During the summer season (Memorial Day - Labor Day) sampling locations are typically monitored weekly or every two weeks.The following table lists the beaches and locations being sampled during the 2013 season. Click on a beach name to view an aerial map in PDF format.