Santa Cruz County Municipal Code Ch. 7.72 Bacteriological Standards for Freshwater Contact Sports Areas

The Board of Supervisors expressly finds and declares that contamination of the waters of the County constitutes a hazard to public health, and that there is a need for bacteriological standards for determining the safety of freshwater contact sports areas. It is the intent of this chapter to establish bacteriological standards of safety of freshwater contact sports areas so that the public may with assurance use the waters without the possibility of contracting disease.

(prior code § 11.30.010; Ord. 1472, 1969)

As used in this chapter:

(A)

"Contamination"

means an impairment of the quality of the waters to a degree which creates a hazard to the public health through poisoning or through the spread of disease.

(B)

"Freshwater contact sports areas"

means all bodies of fresh water, including rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds or lagoons with a saline content less than that of the ocean, but not including swimming pools as defined by State law, which are in the County of Santa Cruz and which are used for sports in which the body of a person comes into physical contact with the water, including but not limited to swimming, paddle boarding, skin diving, and water skiing, but not including boating or fishing.

(prior code § 11.30.020; Ord. 1472, 1969)

Bacteriological standards for freshwater contact sports areas are hereby established as follows:

Samples of water from each sampling station at such a freshwater contact sports area shall have a count of fecal coliform organisms less than 200 organisms per 100 milliliters; provided, that not more than 20 percent of the samples at any sampling station, in any 30-day period, may exceed 200 per 100 milliliters.

(prior code § 11.30.030; Ord. 1472, 1969)

When a freshwater contact sports area fails to meet the standards prescribed by this chapter, the Health Officer, after taking into consideration the causes therefor, may, at their discretion, post the area with warning signs or otherwise restrict the use of said body of fresh water until such time as corrective action has been taken and the standards set forth in this chapter are met.

(prior code § 11.30.040; Ord. 1472, 1969; Ord. 5324 § 10, 2020)

When the Health Officer finds that a contamination of a freshwater contact sports area exists, the Health Officer shall order the contamination abated as provided in the California Health and Safety Code.

(prior code § 11.30.050; Ord. 1472, 1969; Ord. 5324 § 10, 2020)

Any person, firm or corporation who removes or causes a removal of any warning signs or any barriers of any kind which the Health Officer has placed or caused to be placed at a body of fresh water shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable as provided by this code.

(prior code § 11.30.060; Ord. 1472, 1969; Ord. 3620 § 13, 1985; Ord. 5324 § 10, 2020)