Edhat Staff
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has lifted the water contact closure for Goleta Beach as of Friday,
Water quality testing conducted by Environmental Health Services has confirmed the ocean water is now safe for recreational use along the Goleta Beach County Park shoreline following a massive sewage spill in mid-February.
However, the East End of Goleta Beach County Park remains closed for public access due to ongoing emergency storm and beach nourishment operations. A water contact advisory will remain in effect for this restricted shoreline area.
“We acknowledge the impact of the beach closure has had on Goleta Beach visitors and sincerely thank the community for their cooperation while we conducted additional ocean water sampling to confirm its safety for swimming, paddling, and other water contact activities. With the lifting of the beach closure, let’s embrace the opportunity to once again enjoy the beauty of Goleta Beach County Park together,” said Lars Seifert, Environmental Health Services Director.
Public Health shut down the beach on February 22, six days after a leak was detected by the Goleta West Sanitary District. During a report to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, an apparent “miscommunication” between the Sanitary District and the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) resulted in the delay to close the beach.
When Public Health issued their first beach closure notice it cited “a release of approximately 500,000 gallons of sewage from a damaged main sewer line near the Santa Barbara Airport to the Goleta Slough during the recent rain event.”
Days later a press release was disseminated updating the spill to approximately 1,025,000 gallons.
“The County of Santa Barbara implements a variety of programs to protect public health and enhance environmental quality of County watersheds and beaches. Working to improve water quality by reducing or treating sources of pollution is a multi-faceted task. To find out what is being done to improve water quality and how you can help, visit www.sbprojectcleanwater.org,” the press release from Public Health stated.
For up-to-date information on the status of routinely sampled beaches countywide, visit the Ocean Water Monitoring website or contact our 24-hour recorded Ocean Water Quality Hotline at 805-681-4949.
Related Articles
- February 22, 2024: Goleta Beach Closed for Sewage Spill
- February 28, 2024: County Supervisors Receive Report on Goleta’s Million-Gallon Sewage Spill
So what really happened? What caused the leak? Who was at fault? Why wasn’t the public notified sooner? The statement, “an apparent “miscommunication” between the Sanitary District and the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) resulted in the delay to close the beach” is very ambiguous. Let’s have some definite, clear answers about what happened, who did what, and how such problems will be avoided in the future.