Testing the waters —literally — at Orange County beaches
In an age of instant gratification, testing the health of beach water remains painfully slow.
By the time lab work and calculations are complete — up to four days after samples are taken — sewage and runoff-fouled water may already have exposed swimmers and surfers to pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal viruses, ear and eye infections, skin rashes and other ailments.
That is to change this summer, with plans to make Southern California the first place in the nation to issue health advisories using a rapid testing method that dramatically reduces the time it takes to detect ocean water contamination.
