The future is looking up for coordinated beach water quality tests -- a cornerstone of Southern California's coastal economy -- because of newly signed legislation that changes the way the program is financed.
Senate Bill 482 bill gives the State Water Resources Control Board authority to spend up to $1.8 million annually to pay for the work through mid-2016. Historically, the money came from the state's general fund through the public health agency, though in recent years it was paid with bond money that runs out at the end of October.
The bill was written by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, and supported by local leaders such as Supervisor Greg Cox.
Future funds to maintain the popular initiative will come from fees that sewage districts and other wastewater dischargers pay to the water board -- a stable source. The amount spent on beach tests each year still will be subject to state budget appropriations, said Justin Malan, executive director of the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators, which sponsored the legislation.
"Without this bill, the water board wouldn't have the explicit authority to raise funds for the purposes of running the program," Malan said. He said the agency could pay for the work by finding savings, raising fees on dischargers or by other means.
San Diego County his historically been the top recipient of state money -- about $300,000 a year -- but state financing started faltering in 2008 and it's been unclear for years whether it would continue for the longterm. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved stopgap funding in August designed to keep the program afloat until June 2012.
“With this (legislation), we will have a sustainable source of funding for a program that protects public health and maintains our beachgoing way of life," Cox said Monday.
California’s beach monitoring initiative was created in 1997 by state legislation that mandated weekly water-quality testing at beaches visited by more than 50,000 people a year and if they had storm drains that discharged during dry weather.
Local beach water testing is operated by the county's Department of Environmental Health. Approximately 85 samples are taken and analyzed from beaches and bays along San Diego’s coastline. County officials use the data to issue warnings about elevated bacteria levels due to sewage spills, urban runoff or other pollution sources.
Mike Lee: mike.lee@uniontrib.com; (619)293-2034; Follow on Twitter @sdutlee
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