Question Monterey Beach closures post-rain?

[mochi]

Hello! I've heard/read that the county will (sometimes?) close beaches in town that are near sewage pipes after a rain due to contaminents in the runoff. Is there a reliable source to see whether this is the case if you're planning to travel in? I've found the county's health page and (as of today) the last update is from mid-November.

The same site also has a marked map of sewer drains and a list of beaches: are only the beaches at those drains affected? For example, it doesn't look like McAbee is near a marked point (nor is it on the list) so does that mean it's far enough away and would be open, or does the county close all the beaches regardless?

If it isn't obvious, I'm looking to surf entry, but a day or so after the storm has lumbered through. I'm also open to an alternate location outside of the scope of the closures, but the status info would still be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Bigbella]

Beaches are very seldom “closed,“ save for instances of outright sewage spills.

Typically, they’ll just be warning signs about the potential health risks of swimming in an area, usually stipulating avoidance of local waters for, say, seventy-two hours after any significant rain.

Ran or shine, I typically see people diving in Monterey and Carmel, ignoring any and all signs . . .

 

[runsongas]

advisories are posted if the sampled bacteria levels are too high

Public Beaches: Water Quality | Monterey County, CA

California has some of the most popular beaches in the country. Beach visitors spend over $10 billion each year in California.

www.co.monterey.ca.us

 

[Bigbella]

advisories are posted if the sampled bacteria levels are too high

Public Beaches: Water Quality | Monterey County, CA

California has some of the most popular beaches in the country. Beach visitors spend over $10 billion each year in California.

www.co.monterey.ca.us

Sure, but nowadays, cities are frequently understaffed and will simply post signs where there is any sign of outflow, just on the assumption that there will be a high bacterial, and, by enteric association, potential viral contamination of a given beach. I did a good deal of sampling over the years, for a number of cities, but there have been severe cutbacks, especially since the height of the covidiocy.

I noticed, from your link, that Monterey is, predictably, right on the ball, with cutting edge 11/15 results for "sampled" beach conditions, for the first week of December -- so too, the case with their timely phone updates. True, nothing really has happened in the last, say, twenty days.

Dollars to doughnuts, though, those storm-related contamination assumptions will be correct . . .