San Pedro Creek Test Results
 

Enterococcus and E. coli are the fecal indicator bacteria we test for.  Their presence in a water sample indicates contamination by animal or human feces. ​The results so far indicate that nearly every sample of San Pedro Creek is contaminated. The worst results come after a rainstorm.

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The results are presented as colony forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 mls). A cfu is a single live bacterium that is capable of growing, and 100 mls is about 3.4 ounces. Numbers in brown exceed the state and federal standards, and in red, exceed them by 3- to 5-fold. 

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It should be noted that the health issues of water exceeding the standards is due to fecal organisms that can't readily be tested for, such as disease-causing viruses, bacteria, or protozoans. Fecal indicators like Enterococcus and E. coli are ones we can easily test for. 

 

In addition to to our 4 creek testing sites, we also include ocean data from the San Mateo County Department of Health (taken on the same mornings as our samples) and the Surfrider Blue Water Task Force. The LM5 data agrees with our data from the San Pedro Creek mouth. Ocean water at LM7, just 200 yards north of the creek mouth, is mostly safe except for heavy rains and rare discharges from the pump station. To minimize exposure to fecal contaminants, we recommend that you surf north of the pump station and Taco Bell. ​

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