4 Los Angeles County beaches remain under high bacteria warning
This Jan. 27, 2018 photo provided by the California Coastkeeper shows an overgrown seaweed bed at Venice Beach on the Los Angeles County coast. (California Coastkeeper via AP)
This Jan. 27, 2018 photo provided by the California Coastkeeper shows an overgrown seaweed bed at Venice Beach on the Los Angeles County coast. (California Coastkeeper via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a month after Los Angeles County beaches were declared public health emergencies over high bacteria counts, bacteria remain high in the ocean off Southern California and health officials warned Thursday that bacteria levels will stay high for time being.
The bacteria count remained elevated at least 17 days after the county beach Health Officer, Nancy S. Haddock, declared a public health emergency in early January. The beach health emergency was lifted Thursday after the county Department of Public Health completed its own review and approved its findings and recommendations.
“What we have learned since then is that there is a need to revisit that declaration and take a more strategic, long-term approach to reducing the bacteria levels and keeping them below those levels that were identified as significant,” said Dr. Mark Miley, director of the county’s Division of Public Health.
The county’s beaches were still under an elevated bacteria warning after Haddock declared the emergency and the DPH recommended the county adopt a longer-term plan to bring down bacteria levels. Haddock, a biologist and director of the DPH’s water-quality division, said in January that bacteria levels were high in the county’s public beaches from January 21 to April 15.
In addition to the elevated bacteria counts, state and federal health officials have declared the beaches off-limits to people, especially pregnant women, infants, the elderly and immune-compromised people.
The bacteria levels were high enough that the county’s beach Health Officer decided to take an emergency action — a health emergency declaration — and to issue a public health emergency. The declaration allows a beach community to move swiftly to reduce the bacteria levels where they are above the threshold for
