San Mateo County Bay Beaches Bacteria Advance Restoration Plan

These six beaches in San Mateo County are on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired water bodies because Enterococcus levels at these beaches exceed water quality objectives.

An ARP has been developed that identifies likely sources of bacteria sources, outlines implementation actions, and establishes an adaptive management framework to improve water quality and protect recreational users. It also includes water quality monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the corrective actions and annual reporting. The ARP builds on existing efforts already underway, and relies on collaboration with local agencies and other partners. By leveraging voluntary actions and the Water Board’s existing regulatory authorities to require data collection and implementation measures, the ARP is expected to achieve water quality objectives more quickly than a traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

If the ARP is successful, it will lead to removing the bacteria impairment of these beaches from the Section 303(d) list. If the Plan is not successful, the next step would be the development of a TMDL, which is a cleanup plan that is implemented through permits and orders the Water Board issues.

Six beaches located in San Mateo County: Oyster Point Beach, Coyote Point, Kiteboard Beach, Gull Park Beach, Erckenbrack Park Beach, and Marlin Park Beach are on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired water bodies because Enterococcus levels at these beaches exceed water quality objectives.