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Consistently judged among the filthiest beaches on the Peninsula, the waters within Pillar Point Harbor are swimming with much of the same bacteria people regularly flush down the toilet.
Health inspectors have long warned swimmers to stay out of the harbor waters, but they’ve been perplexed as to why the harbor is brimming with fecal bacteria.
Later this week, after years of studying the harbor waters, officials with the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District plan to release results that could solve the mystery — or add to the debate.
There are many theories as to the cause of the bacteria, including a leaky sewer pipe, boaters illegally dumping septic tanks or livestock waste making its way into the waterway from streams to the east.
“There’s been a lot of concern and theories and hypotheses in the community for decades,” said RCD Executive Director Kellyx Nelson. “Our study conclusively eliminates some of those possibilities.”
Nelson declined to elaborate on the study’s conclusions, explaining she was concerned people may misinterpret the results. She shared only one finding from the study — the majority of the bacteria is evidently not coming from waste dumping from the harbor boats.
The bacteria study originally started in 2007, but it stalled soon after its first year when the project lost its funding as a result of a state budget freeze. Funding was restored in 2011, allowing researchers to finish the three-year study with the unanticipated benefit of some improved technology in the interim.
RCD officials will present their study from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on June 8 at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club at 214 Princeton Ave.
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San Mateo County has received $42.8 million from the state of California to fund three housi…
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A group of seven seashore explorers met Kirk Lombard at low tide in Pillar Point Harbor on S…
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Last week the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission took a step in an ongoing process to build a…
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About 30 Pacificans spent an afternoon last week thinking about something they would rather …
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UPDATE: 4:35 p.m. The weather is expected to deteriorate through the evening hours with rain…
Last week, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo sat down to speak with Oceana High School junior Thant Paing…
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(9) comments
There have to be certain reasons behind the pollution in the waters. There could be waste storage tanks under the sea bed or nearby the vicinity. Regardless of the main cause, visitors should just simply heed the advise of the authorities to stay out of the waters for their own good especially when their health is concerned.
Found the results online link is here, enjoy! http://www.smharbor.com/pillarpoint/fecal_report_062013.pdf
just a thought, it may be people who live in storage units causing the problem...but what about the tons and tons of fertilizer stacked on pallets right on the edge of the harbor at Romeo's? seems like a logical culprit. whatever the cause, it needs to be dealt with immediately...not sure why the story isn't what the researchers found but just that the found something, guess we have to wait for next week's Review???
Have public portable units ever been considered in discrete locations? Whatever they cost is better than polluted waters. Yes, address the illegal unit situation but no matter what we do there will always be places with under-housed humans who need bathroom facilities.
It isn't just illegals. I used to have a warehouse up there. I knew more than a few were occupied. Never saw anybody that struck me as an illegal alien. Maybe some illegal Anglos but not Hispanics. That was more than a few year ago, to be fair.
As for a plan, simple. Jail the landlords that allow folks to live in illegal housing. Fixed and Pronto!
If illegal aliens in illegal housing are dumping raw sewage, creating health hazards and the "filthiest" beaches around, then who in the county is allowing this to continue? It's probably not just illegals either. We need a cleanup plan, and pronto!
"...Ask anyone in the Harbor. People living in the "Storage" units, take their 5 gal. buckets of urine and crap, and pour it down the storm drains. Well known fact, been going on for years..."
A.K.A. Illegal immigrants. Which is why the so-called public agencies will not tell the truth about the true cause of the pollution.
Nelson declined to elaborate on the study’s conclusions, explaining she was concerned people may misinterpret the results...
We wasted our money????
Ask anyone in the Harbar. People living in the "Storage" units, take their 5 gal. buckets of urine and crap, and pour it down the storm drains. Well known fact, been going on for years.
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