Ocean water contact at East Beach near Mission Creek is once again allowed after county health officials lifted the closure Friday, nearly a month after a Christmas Eve sewage spill sent untreated waste into the creek and out to sea.
According to the County of Santa Barbara Health, recent ocean water quality testing confirmed that bacteria levels have fallen below state health standards, clearing the area for recreational use.
The closure had been in place since late December, after approximately 4,500 gallons of untreated sewage entered Mission Creek during a storm on Christmas Eve, ultimately flowing into the ocean at East Beach. While the beach itself remained open, contact with ocean water near the creek outfall had been prohibited from a quarter mile east to an eighth mile west of the Mission Creek outfall pending test results.
State health standards require that bacteria levels — including E. coli, enterococcus, and total coliform — remain below established thresholds before water contact can resume. Earlier samples collected in late December showed elevated bacteria concentrations near the outfall, particularly in areas closest to Mission Creek, according to county monitoring data.
Follow-up testing conducted by Environmental Health Services this month showed continued improvement, with results now meeting state criteria for safe recreational use.
County officials emphasized that water quality protection remains an ongoing effort.
“The County of Santa Barbara implements a variety of programs to protect public health and enhance environmental quality of County watersheds and beaches,” the county said. “Working to improve water quality by reducing or treating sources of pollution is a multi-faceted task.”
Residents can track current conditions and learn more about water quality efforts at sbprojectcleanwater.org.
